Some might remember the Morbidelli nameplate from the late 1990s when the Italian brand unveiled an 850cc V8-powered sport-touring prototype with a price tag of $45,000. It was an impressive thing, with Brembo brakes, a fuel-injected, 32-valve V-8 engine that could rev to 11,000 rpm, and a claimed dry weight of just 440 lbs.
And while that prototype never made it to showroom floors, the Morbidelli name itself lives on. Sort of.
Along with Benelli, another Italian brand with a storied and somewhat checkered past, Morbidelli is now owned by the QJMotor group, or Qianjiang Motorcycle Co., Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer that was founded in 1985 and is owned by Geely.
