Page 36 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW SPECIAL ISSUE 6

T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 3 6

1959, Parilla Slughi 99 motorbike, Italy.

This futuristic Parilla is a classic Italian design of the late 1950s that blends technical
sophistication with elegant styling. The Slughi model was introduced in 1957 at the Milan
show, and it was clearly inspired by the Aermacchi Chimera, which was designed by
former Parilla designer Alfredo Bianchi. It’s unknown whether Bianchi had begun his
design while still at Parilla, but Piero Bossaglia’s Slughi (desert greyhound) proved in the

end to be a far more commercially successful proposition, becoming a popular commuter
bike at the end of the 1950s that was offered in four-stroke and two-stroke versions. The
Parilla story is one of remarkable achievement by Spanish immigrant Giovanni Parrilla,
who settled in Milan after World War II and immediately set out to work on building
incredible motorcycles.

Sales success encouraged Parilla to expand, and it built scooters, lightweights, racers and
even an advanced 350cc parallel twin in the 1950s. Parilla had no less than 16 models on
display in 1959. The Slughi had a well-designed unit-construction flat-single engine with a
4-speed gearbox hung from a pressed-steel frame, with telescopic forks and a rubber-
damped rear swingarm as well. The Slughi initially used a 99cc motor, but this was
enlarged to 125cc by 1960, good for 8 HP and having an all-up weight of only 172 pounds,
providing lively performance with a 53 MPH top speed.

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