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How Many Bids Were Made on Moto Morini Today?

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Zero. Nada. None. That’s the number of offers made on Moto Morni and its facilities during today’s bankruptcy auction proceedings. The beleaguered Italian motorcycle manufacturer has had a rough time of things, since its closure hit the newswires back in December 2009. Several suitors have come to the company’s door, trying to woo it into acquisition. First it was Paolo Berlusconi, who came close to finalizing a purchase of Moto Morini, before the unionized labor put the kibosh on the transaction, and Berlusconi walked from the business deal.

Perhaps unsurprisingly was the failure of any offer from Thomas Bleiner to materialize, despite the Austrain businessman’s great lengths to publicize his intentions of purchasing Moto Morini. Bleiner’s plan involved supplementing the motorcycle company’s income with a bank of solar panels, made by Bleiner’s other venture, that would be affixed to the Bologna factory’s rooftop. As was thought at the time, this announcement appears to be just a move to drum up some publicity for the photovoltic enterprise, and not a serious interest in Moto Morini.

With the failure to find a buyer, Moto Morini’s bankruptcy administrator says the company will go back on the auction block this summer. Hopefully in a few months’ time the economy will have bounced back enough for a buyer to emerge, but the interest in running a motorcycle company that is hampered by a stubborn labor union and expensive area to manufacturer in has to be a deal-limiting factor.

Unfortunately the reality might be that no buyer will emerge for Moto Morini, even later this summer. However according to the Italian newspaper la Repubblica, there are three groups apparently interested in buying Moto Morini, but were unable to secure funds for the acquisition by today’s date. Will these buyers emerge in the summer? Only time will tell.

Source: la Repubblica via MotoBlog.it

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