FRERA ITALY’S FIRST MOTORCYCLE COMPANY

After visiting the Frera Museum in Dec 2022, I returned with a wonderful book ‘Frera’ by Ernesto Restelli. So began the long process of translation and internet research on Frera’s history. Most of the factory documentation was lost in a fire, so the story was compiled from collectors, workers, racers and enthusiasts.

Gaven Dall’Osto

A businessman with a vision Corrado Frera was born in Kreuznach, Germany in 1859. Aged 26, he moved to Milan and opened a gift and toy shop, and in 1893 opened a new shop selling rubber goods and velocipedes. In 1897 he and partners founded Corrado Frera and Co. marketing NSU motorcycles, and Swiss Zürcher and Lüthi (aka Zedel) engines. In 1898 they began assembling custom motor-bicycles. Circa 1899 the company gained the rights to represent BSA, Daimler, NSU, Darracq, Peugeot, and Zedel for all of Lombardy. They expanded to a new workshop in 1903, gaining the rights for NSU, Peugeot, Zedel etc for the whole of Italy. Corrado’s vision was to build a factory manufacturing ‘Frera’ bicycles and motor-bicycles. While visiting his brother-in-law Arturo in Tradate (NW of Milan),…

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Old Bike Australasia (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 118

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