1958 Condor 250 Grand Sport Maserati engine
Switzerland may be only a little country
but over the years it has produced some 74 different makes of bike - and some
of them; have achieved world fame. Condor, whose name ranks second in the hall
of fame of Swiss motorcycling after Motosacoche, was founded at Courfaivre in
1901 and until recently was still supplying bikes to the Swiss Army.
Own
Make Engines
The marque made its own engines, including a whole generation
of flat-twins, but also used Swiss MAG and Italian Ducati power units. In 1953,
Condor began work on a medium-capacity bike intended mainly for the military
and decided to use a new Italian engine which had just been launched by a
company of great renown in the automobile word - Maserati.
Motorbikes
from Modena
The motorcycling activities of Maserati were sort-lived (they
ran from 1953 to 1961) and their production was small. After making their debut
with a modest 125cc two-stroke, the famed marque from Modena marketed two only
four-stroke singles, a 160cc and a 250 with the same engine as the Condor. Then
came a 250cc twin and a 175 single with an overhead camshaft. ; Maserati's
minuscule output must have seriously worried the Swiss marque, which had its
reputation and the aftermarket to consider. Though the Maserati-engined 250 was
built in both civil and military versions, less than ten had been completed
before it was replaced aby the Condor Type A 250 with an "own-make" overhead
camshaft engine and shaft drive. Production of the A 250 exceeded 3000
units.