The enterprise Casa Mecánica Española S.L (CME) was founded at Calle Consell de Cent, 310, Barcelona and their initial focus was on precision machining for local automotive and machine‐tool businesses, but they also diversified into the model aircraft engine market.
Casa Mecánica Española built their own complete CME engines for this expanding sector. The example below is a 9.56cc, two stroke, spark engine with side port fuel mix admission dating from 1941/42. The photograph and information are reproduced here with the kind permission of José Manuel Rojo, who has a website (J.M. Rojo Model Engines Collection), which contains encyclopaedic knowledge of the aeromodelling world. In his notes he highlights the incredible quality of the casting and finish of these engines from Barcelona, made the more remarkable given the scarcity of quality materials in the years immediately after the Civil War in Spain.
Under the name Talleres Valls S.A, they were also believed to have manufactured some industrial engines of both 2 and 4 stroke, for agricultural use but I have yet to find any examples of these. Further diversification came when they decided to enter the motorcycle sector.
As Talleres Valls S.A., they presented their first and only motorcycle at the Official International Trade Fair of Barcelona in 1955. The motorcycle itself was a mixture of both old and new technologies as it offered very advanced features such as a rotary valve intake (based on their knowledge gained with model airplane engines) but, by contrast, other cycle parts were outdated.
The aluminium alloy engine was a 2 stroke, 125cc, air cooled, horizontally inclined single cylinder, with a recessed and shrouded carburettor. The foot-controlled gear linkage also incorporated a handlebar mounted lever to allow the selection of neutral. The simple, double cradle frame was manufactured from seamless steel tubes and incorporated twin, rear, sliding telescopic suspension but it is not known whether the frame was an in-house creation or bought in.
It is believed that only 3 complete units were built but detailed information about the brand is very scarce and they left the motorcycle sector in 1956 and concentrated all their efforts on their award winning model aircraft engines, the last one being manufactured in 1961. The company reoriented toward industrial refrigeration components until formal dissolution in 1973.
The motorcycle in the photographs is part of the Sala Santy Collection and was seen at their Exhibition at Riola (Valencia) in August 2024.
Note: I am still undertaking further research on this brand and, eventually, I hope to add some contemporary documentation.
Spanish Motorcycles 
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