c1966 Bultaco TSS 250cc Race Motorcycle

Description

Bultaco was founded in May 1958 by a former director of the Montesa motorcycle company, Francesco “Paco” Bulto, who, along with other key employees of Montesa’s racing department, resigned when that company stopped racing.  Based in Barcelona, Bultaco proved a winner right from the outset, scoring victory on debut in the 1959 Spanish Grand Prix, also proving a dominant player in the off-road motorcycling scene for decades to come.  Alongside the motocross and trials bikes (including the famous Sherpa), Bultaco also produced a number of successful road bikes, starting with the 125cc two-stroke Tralla.  A production racer derivative, the legendary Tralla Super Sport series (or TSS), was sold in 125, 250 and 350 versions between 1965 and 1968 and proved highly successful, particularly with the adoption of liquid cooling.  Bultaco gave many famous riders their first taste of two-wheel racing, including the legendary Barry Sheene back in 1968 at the age of just 18.  Bultaco expanded rapidly in the 1960s, with the United States proving a key export market but racing was always at the forefront, with no less than nine European Trials Championships between 1968 and 1979 and three 50cc Grand Prix Championships in 1976, 1978 and 1981.  Production was temporarily suspended in 1979 before resuming with Government assistance but gradually ground to a halt in the mid-1980s, although the brand has undergone several revivals, most recently selling electric street bikes in 2014.