When deciding which race bikes to feature on this year’s MotoDoffo wine labels, our 1964 Bultaco TSS 125 cc immediately came to mind. While this is a pretty unique and historic motorcycle, the TSS in our collection has a particularly interesting story of its own.

While Spanish manufacturer Bultaco produced a whole lineup of TSS 2-strokes between 1960 and 1970, only 51 of the 125 cc factory production racers rolled off the line. This was reportedly the first competition bike to be made available for sale to the public, opening up the door for other manufacturers to follow suit. The simplicity in the design of this motorcycle resulted in a relatively reasonable price point for such a high performance and reliable machine. On the track, Bultaco got their Grand Prix win with in 1952 at the Ulster Grand Prix, with rider Ginger Molloy behind the bars.

So how did this rare and significant motorcycle make its way into the MotoDoffo Collection? Marcelo acquired the bike from its original owner, William Sharp, who purchased it on April 7, 1964 according to the original sale receipt. Shard had kept the bike completely intact following its last race, not even bothering to clean off the dirt and oil. Marcelo has since cleaned the carburetor to get it running, but otherwise has not done any cleaning or restoration work.

The special moment came when Sharp, then in his 80s, refused to let the transport company touch the bike and instead loaded the TSS into the trailer himself. It was an emotional day and we have decided to honor this man by keeping the bike 100% original, including the dirt from the race course!

After purchasing the TSS, Marcelo received a call from Bob McCollough in Arizona. Bob is a Bultaco fanatic, and after a conversation about this unique machine Bob was invited to the winery to see the Collection. Bob brought with him the official scorebook from the 1964 TT races that this bike competed in! Although it’s unclear what position it finished in, it is recorded that this motorcycle completed the race!

This year’s artist label series is all about race bikes, and the fact that this motorcycle still has evidence of its last race on it made it a perfect candidate to grace the 2018 Gran Tinto label. Chris White’s artwork on this bike once again blows us away. Chris is able to so beautifully capture the speed and motion of these machines in his work, and it certainly makes the Gran Tinto look fast even while it’s standing still.

This motorcycle was recently featured by the International Motorcycle Shows in their video series “Inside the Garage.” Scan the code with your mobile phone’s camera app to watch the episode, taking you on an inside look at Marcelo’s workshop and private stash of motorcycles.