Bruno Ducati; Family Founded Motorcycle Company

Bruno Cavalieri Ducati, 96, the last surviving founder of the motorcycle company that bears the family name, died Monday at a residence for the elderly in Ispra, Italy.

He was the author of the 1991 “History of Ducati,” about the company known for its sleek, stylish bikes.

An architect, Bruno Ducati designed the factory where he and brothers Adriano and Marcello started building condensers and radio equipment in 1935.

After Allied bombs destroyed the plant in World War II, they switched to motorcycles. The company enjoyed both commercial and sporting success in the 1950s and ‘60s.

A group of American investors bought the company in 1996, and after Ducati won a string of Superbike world championships, sold an entire year’s production of the MH900 “evoluzione” bike online in a few hours last year.