Passion for two wheels - Lanza Digital - Lanza Digital

1. See larger photo gallery
2. See larger photo gallery
3. See larger photo gallery
4. See larger photo gallery
5. See larger photo gallery
6. See larger photo gallery
7. See larger photo gallery
8. See larger photo gallery
9. See larger photo gallery
10. See larger photo gallery
11. See larger photo gallery
12. See larger photo gallery
13. See larger photo gallery
14. See larger photo gallery
15. See larger photo gallery
16. See larger photo gallery
17. See larger photo gallery

Ignacio Cañizares' passion for motorcycles has led him to accumulate more than 200 motorcycles and mopeds throughout the 20th century.

One, two, three, four, five... and so on until reaching 200. That is the number of motorcycles and mopeds that Ignacio Cañizares treasures in a home he owns in the town of Valenzuela de Calatrava. Motorcycles or jewels -as he likes to call them- that range from the 30s -the oldest- to the 80s -the most modern-.

How to treat poisoning by the Soviet-era nerve gas Novichok: Most doctors have never encountered a patient poisoned… https://t.co/rk0Un2GZuO

— News by Amanda Thu Jul 05 22:14:09 +0000 2018

Guzzi, Ossa, Bultaco, Iso, Montesa, Ducati, Puch, Sanglas, MV Agusta, Derbi... These are just some of the many brands that we can find in this particular museum that Ignacio Cañizares himself has set up in Valenzuela de Calatrava for more than He has been collecting these authentic wonders for 50 years. A fondness for motorcycles that he was born when he did "the mili" in the High General Staff, where he fell in love with the BMW R27 that the Civil Guard used at that time. "When I finished my military service and came back to earth, we set up a junkyard and these things began to arrive that I constantly kept and over time the hobby grew and I managed to put all this together," explains this passionate about classic motorcycles in a Interview granted to Lanza.

A passion that also arose when his father bought him his first motorcycle, a Derbi, which he does not currently have, but managed to get hold of one that he has restored and reproduced to the millimeter, leaving it just as it was when his father bought it.

Since then, more than 200 motorcycles have passed through his hands. The oldest he keeps is one from the 1930s, which belonged to the Republican Army during the Civil War. “A supplier of supplies to the Republican Army was commissioned to go out and buy motorcycles for the military liaisons that the newspapers and couriers took to the different places where the Republican military were present. He went all over Europe and went to the BSA factory in Birmingham, bringing 100 motorcycles that served the Republicans during the war and then the Army after the war until they ceased to be operational. And I kept one of these 100 motorcycles that survive today, "explains Cañizares about the oldest motorcycle he owns.

Asked about the "rarest", the biker assures that he "does not have rare bugs" because "there were few rare motorcycles in the area" due to the fact that the economy of more than half a century ago was not very buoyant in the province. "I have some foreigners... like a Russian, but there has always been little," he acknowledges.

About the value of his collection, Cañizares paraphrases Saladino in the movie 'The Kingdom of Heaven' when the Crusaders give him Jerusalem and ask him how much the city is worth. Well, he says the same thing: “How much is my collection worth? Nothing or everything”.

“For me motorcycles are my passion and my life. I restore them, take some out from time to time and that's what I do... Live my way of life with enthusiasm, which is this”, he highlights.

Why old motorcycles and not modern motorcycles? Cañizares answers this question: “Classic motorcycles have a special personality. They are made of iron, they vibrate and make noise. The ones now seem electric and I don't like that. The essence of the bike is different and it is only found in the classics”.

As long as he can, Ignacio Cañizares will continue collecting motorcycles and restoring them to the right measure for him. Well, 200 motorcycles, plus the occasional classic car that he also treasures in his home in Miguelturra, is not restored overnight.