Pocket-Sized MV Agusta GP Phil Read Replica Heads to Auction

If you ever needed proof that Grand Prix racing did once have a sense of humour, this MV Agusta Mini Bike Racing probably covers it. A rare example has surfaced for sale in Modena, Italy, offered at no reserve and carrying one of the more entertaining backstories in MV’s history.

The bike is styled directly on the factory four-cylinder racers that Phil Read rode to 500cc world championships in 1973 and 1974. Finished in red with a full fairing, race seat, and clip-ons, it looks every inch a proper MV Agusta — just scaled down to pocket size.

According to the listing, the run of publicly available mini-bikes began following a one-off example being built and gifted to Phil Read for his son to celebrate those championship wins. Read himself is said to have used one as a paddock bike, and photographs of him riding it soon caught the public’s attention. One image in particular, showing Read apparently explaining himself to a pair of parking wardens while sat on the bike, helped spark enough interest for MV to put the bike into limited production during the mid-1970s.

Three versions were offered, distinguished by wheel size — 8-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch — with this example running on 10-inch wire-spoke wheels. CEAT M541 tyres are fitted and are said not to have been replaced - best not to put in any quali’ laps on those, then!

The chassis is as simple as it gets, with a steel double-cradle frame that supports fixed foot pegs, a conventional telescopic fork and twin rear shocks, with drum brakes at both ends. The fairing features a clear screen and silver lower section, and the listing notes various paint scrapes and scratches that suggest it’s been used rather than hidden away.

Controls are basic too. Clip-on handlebars sit below the top yoke and carry a twist-grip throttle, kill switch and brake levers. There’s no speedo or odometer, so mileage is unknown.

Power comes from a 47.6cc Moto Morini two-stroke single — the one major component not developed in-house by MV — fed by a Dell’Orto carb and driving through a single-speed transmission with centrifugal clutch. A particular highlight of the bike is the wonderfully overcomplex one-into-two-into-four exhaust, styled to mimic Read’s GP bike and delightfully over the top for this dinky single-cylinder machine.

Sold with a custom stand and a bill of sale only, this might be one of the cheapest ways into rare MV ownership. According to the listing, the bike is located in Modena and at the time of writing was sitting at a lowly €3,500 (around £3,000).

You can check out the listing for yourself on the official website.

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