Vintage Cosmo
Where Motorcycle History Comes To Life


68 N. Maple Avenue
Hatfield, PA 19440

215-368-7500

COSMOPOLITAN MOTORS HISTORY

On this page we explore some of the long and storied history of Cosmopolitan Motors in the days before Joe, (yes there where those days too...). Cosmopolitan Motors is one of the Oldest continuously operating motorcycle companies in the United States of America. These are scrap book Photos of some of the famous people (other than Joe of course....) that have been involved in the company over the decades, (yea, that's Decades with a capitol "D").

 This is the man himself, Ernest Wise, founder of Cosmopolitan Motors. He and his cousin, Joseph Berliner, started the Italian invasion back in '48. They were the first people to bring all the pasta to the USA market in a big way.This picture of Mike's Grandfather sittin on one of the first Sei's at the works in Torino, Italy circa November 1972.
 

"Yea, that's the engine."
This is a picture of a 29 year old Larry Weiss, "Cosmo's" owner,
with the first 250 Parilla to enter the United States.

 
Bob Green of Motorcylist Magazine 
with Larry Wise

At right:
The Head Mechanic Claudio Catania.  He comes to Cosmo via Rome Italy. This picture is of his father and his mother holding Claudio. The picture is circa 1956, taken in the street in the back of there home in Torremaura, Via del Fringuello Roma. Claudio's Mom and Dad, Francesco, a state policemen, and Tosca, holding Claudio, are sitting on a 1952 Vespa 90cc 2 stroke 3 speed scooter.

 
Here is one of the late Alejandro De Tomasso
sitting on his pride and joy circa
1972.