You haven’t heard of a garage sale like this – for everything is on offer. A few months ago, we covered the news of electric motorcycle company Energica going bankrupt. We now have information on what will happen with Energica and almost everything associated with the brand.
All of the company's assets, including intellectual property, the name and branding, and even unfinished and prototype motorcycles, were recently offered for auction. But there are still no buyers, as of writing.
The reserve price for Energica was listed at US$4.65 million, which is not terrible for a whole motorbike firm, but the starting bid was only $3.5 million. So, if you've ever dreamed of owning a motorcycle company of your own, there couldn’t be a better opportunity than this.
The sale listing includes a document of Energica's current inventory, and while it's all in Italian, here's what we've been able to decipher so far. It looks to be a fire sale of everything.
Every desk, laptop, office chair, whiteboard, label printer, fan, shredder, refrigerator, coffee maker, and drawer is listed. Precisely, this is a complete corporate liquidation of a working headquarters, workshop, showroom, and manufacturing line.
There are some significant pieces of equipment on offer too. A test bench for motorcycle dynos is listed at €15,000 ($16,255), a laser marker for metal components at €1,500 ($1,625), systems for vertical storage (ICAM Silo 2) at €140,000 ($151,718), and a whole host of specialized production tools such as wheel alignment tools, torque calibrators, and hydraulic presses, among others.
Then, of course, you'll also get motorcycles and prototypes aplenty as part of the sale. There are many fully or partially assembled bikes listed in the document, many of which have model names like Ego Corsa (track-only), which are valued at €6,000 ($6,502) each. Bikes like the SS9, Eva Ribelle, ECRP, and Experia ranging from €5,000 to €13,500 ($5,418 to $14,629) are also on sale.
The document also lists numerous bikes, some unfinished and others without batteries, referred to as “prototipi” or “manichino” (mock-up/display). Some are marked as "Polizia," suggesting specific development for law enforcement.
There's also a stock of parts and spares, and a follow-up list of inventory in third-party warehouses that has had its value cut by 65% for the purpose of liquidation. These consist of tires, suspension components, forks, fairings, cowlings, wheels, gear components, motors, housings for batteries, ABS systems, and whole frame assemblies.
According to the document, the total assessed liquidation value is €660,758 ($716,393) for tangible assets plus a stockpile of parts with far lower values. Naturally, intangibles would be part of the company's actual worth., including brand and intellectual property, certification and homogenization, relationships with dealers and distribution, presence in the market, possibility of a resurgence given funding.
The Italian government is asking bidders to start at $3.5 million – about the price of a single Bugatti Chiron. I think it's crazy how low the starting bid is. It’s not like you’re buying a defunct company that was never able to manufacture a motorcycle. On the contrary, Energica was rather successful in its day.
Established in 2009, the company was among the first to produce all-electric motorcycles. Before Ducati took its spot in 2023, it peaked as the only MotoE supplier from 2019 to 2022. However, in October of last year, it underwent judicial liquidation due to financial issues.
It’s simple. Energica couldn’t make enough money to stay afloat. But if you have the money and some industry experience, you could very well own your own motorcycle brand, and even relaunch Energica.
Source: Public Sales Portal - Italy
