Itom and the 50cc Class Itom was an early contributor to Italy’s motorcycle industry after World War II and secured an excellent reputation for its 50cc and 65cc single-cylinder two-stroke engines by the mid-1950s. The Astor Super Sport, a 50cc motorcycle with three speeds and handlebar gearshifts, debuted in 1954. Itom was a major contributor to the booming popularity of small-displacement motorcycles in the late 1950s and 1960s. The company’s successes on the racetrack led to Grand Prix championship racing status for the 50cc class in 1962. Although Itom never entered production racers, private riders on the company’s bikes comprised the majority of racers in the 50cc class from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s, before yielding to production racers by Honda and Kreidler.
