The Garelli Mosquito engine, launched in 1946, is probably the most common of auxiliary bicycle engines. Although it was native to Italy, it was also manufactured under license in a number of other countries, including France.
The Seville based company, Industrias Subsidiarias de Aviacion SA (ISA), is accepted to manufacture for the Spanish market under license and production starts in 1951 with the 38cc version, the M38A. In 1954, ISA would go on to produce the 50cc version, known as the M38B in Italy but as the M50 in Spain.
This M38 was photographed at Gironella, Catalonia in 2023.
The Mosquito engine was a big success, partly because of its simplicity – it was designed to fit between the pedals of most bicycle frames. The robust nature of the engine, enhanced by the reputation of the quality of the ISA build standards, saw it remain in production in Spain until 1966. Initially the engines could be bought loose for fitting to different bicycle frames and were also fitted to a bicycle frame built specifically for ISA and then later, the full Garelli designed moped was produced.
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