What happened to Vins Motors? From its founding to judicial liquidation

The story of a dream born in Ferrari’s shadow, taking off amid applause and ending, unfortunately, in the silence of the courts. Vins Motor is a splendid shooting star.

It all begins in 2017. Five young engineers, led by Vincenzo Mattia, resign from Ferrari. They don’t leave for better salaries, but because they have an idea that can’t be born within the walls of a car factory. They found Vins Motors in a warehouse that almost touches the borders of Maranello.

Their goal? To bring back the legend of the two-stroke engine, but with Formula 1 technology—to create a motorcycle lighter than the rider who would pilot it. At EICMA, the Duecinquanta leaves everyone speechless. It’s not a motorcycle; it’s an exercise in aeronautical design. The frame isn’t made with tubes or plates: it’s a carbon fiber monocoque that also serves as bodywork and air ducting. The engine is an electronically injected 250cc (later 288cc) twin capable of nearly 90 hp, for an incredible weight of just 95 kg.

Vins is dubbed the “Pagani of two wheels.” It’s the apex. Orders pour in from all over the world and it carries the aura of a company revolutionizing the sector. But crafting works of art is one thing; making the numbers add up for a motorcycle company in 2020 is another. The production complexity of carbon fiber and the extremely strict emissions regulations start to wear down their growth plans. Despite attempts to diversify with the EV-01+ electric project, the financial structure of the small factory begins to creak.

The pandemic and the components crisis likely deliver the coup de grâce to a business sustained by extreme craftsmanship. The curtain officially falls in July 2023. The Verona Court declares the opening of Judicial Liquidation for Vins S.r.l. The website disappears, the phones stop ringing, and the dreams dissolve.