As it often happens, the history of great industries is born in garages. In our case, it is the Benelli Garage, where in 1911, the 6 Benelli brothers repaired and manufactured motorcycle parts. In 1919 the first engine was born, a single cylinder 75cc two stroke engine adapted to a bicycle frame. 1921 brought the first real Benelli motorcycle, the Velomotore a 98cc two stroke offered in a Sport or Touring model, followed by a 147cc version two years later. In 1926 Benelli designed a new motorcycle, a 175cc 4-stroke overhead camshaft engine which was equal to or superior to its larger displacement competitors. Over the next several decades, Benelli produced many more race winning 250cc and 500cc models.