lump of an engine

When the Italian army needed a Jeep-like utility vehicle during WWII. Moto Guzzi developed a three-wheeled contraption that could climb the steepest grades, powered by a robust V-twin motor built to automotive/agricultural standards: designed to last practically forever. Availability must trump practicality, for somehow this lump of an engine found its way into a motorcycle frame several years later. The resulting stone-reliable shaft-drive machine was used extensively by military and police forces in Italy and, ultimately, around the world, including the California Highway Patrol. -via MotArt