AGV was founded in 1947 by Gino Amisano, AGV name being his initials and Valenza, the city in which the company was based.
AGV initially made leather seats and motorcycle saddles, adding leather motorcycle helmets a year later. Helmet production became the core business when they started making fiberglass helmets in 1954. Around this time, AGV began making sponsorship deals with motorcycle racers, eventually claiming greats such as Angel Nieto, Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Barry Sheene, Wayne Rainey and Valantino Rossi as their riders.
In the 70’s F1 greats wore AGV’s including Emerson Fittipaldi, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Alan Jones and infamously Niki Lauda in his fiery 1976 German Grand Prix race.
Gotta love Emerson's sidies and Barry's mullet in these photos!