Talleres Autisa (Automatic Transmission Innovation SA) was founded in 1980 by Angel Cormona and was a Catalan brand of racing motorcycle based in Les Franqueses del Vallès, (Barcelona) during the 80s. Angel Cormona collaborated with the renowned Dutch engine designer and two stroke genius, Jan Thiel, who designed the high performance Autisa GP engine.
In 1984, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) World Championships replaced the 50cc category with a new 80cc class, which lasted 6 years (1984 – 1989) before being discontinued. Autisa created a Race Team to compete in the new 80cc class and scored a total of 102 championship points over the 6 seasons of their involvement but just missed out on podium places on a number of occasions.
Their peak racing activity was the 1986 season when Autisa built 12 GP motorcycles and 14 engines for the 80 cc World Championship campaign. Riders include Joan Ramón Bolart, Mingo Gil, Luis Miguel Reyes with each official rider having a race bike and a spare.
In addition to their Grand Prix aspirations, Autisa developed and produced transformation kits for brands such as the Derbi Variant with replacement cylinder, cylinder head, piston, reed valve box and the exhaust system.
An ex-Joan Ramón Bolart Autisa GP80cc race bike on display at the Museo de la Motocicleta Española, 28802 Alcalá de Henares (Madrid)
The Jan Thiel designed engine was a water-cooled, single cylinder unit with rotary valve intake technology. Engine dimensions were 48mm x 44mm (bore and stroke) giving a capacity 0f 79.68cc. The cylinder was inclined forward at 45 degrees and used as 34mm Dell’Orto carburettor and a Motoplat ignition system. It featured a 6-speed gearbox and developed circa 28 HP @ 13,000 rpm. The engine unit weighed 16 kgs.
The bodywork and aerodynamic panels on the Autisa GP bike came from the family of their rider Joan Ramón Bolart, whose family had a “Maestros Carroceros” (Master Coachbuilders) business in, Martorell (Barcelona). Bolart himself spent 2 seasons at Autisa in 1985, 1986 with his best finish in each season being 6th place – in the Italian GP in 1985 and the Spanish GP in 1986.
This photo of Angel Cormona and his 80cc racer gives a good perspective of the engine geometry.
In 1989/90 reports suggest that labour disputes and union conflicts contributed to the eventual shutdown of the original Talleres Autisa.
However, 1st April, 2013 the Autisa name reappeared as “Automatic Transmission Innovation SA.”, with new headquarters in Avinguda Llenguadoc, Nave 29 Polígono Buenavista, Badalona, province of Barcelona. this new entity was dedicated to the manufacture of kits and components for motorcycles and scooters of different displacements.
In 2015 it patented its Axial Transmission System, which was a new range of centrifugal variators for scooters, supplying the following firms: Aprilia, BMW, Daelim, Derbi, Gilera, Honda, Kymco, MBK, Peugeot, Piaggio, Suzuki, Vespa and Yamaha.
Footnotes:
Alex Barros
Autisa gave a very young Alex Barros his first GP ride in 1986 at the Spanish Grand Prix, in the 80cc Class. He was just 15 years old and apparently lied about his age! He had further rides in that season and picked up points at the GB and San Marino GPs.
JJ Cobas TA1 and TA2
In 1985, Antonio Cobas designed a frame that was a double beam U-frame, built with four steel beams in standard rectangular sections, welded to the steering head pipe. The distribution of the weight placed the main proportion on the front wheel.
The JJ Cobas 80cc bikes from 1986 and 1987 (TA1 and TA2), and 1988 (TA2) were all sold with an Autisa engine. From 1989, the JJ Cobas TA2 could be bought with either an Autisa or HuVo Casal engine**.
In the 1970s and 80s, the Dutch engineers Jan Huberts and Jaap Voskamp specialised in MBA and Minarelli road-racers and their 80cc and 125cc bikes had podium finishes in World Championship races. They also created their own machines, the HuVo-Casal using a Casal engine as a base unit.
Spanish Motorcycles 