Phil Read rides the MV Agusta 500 in le Cheval de Fer

MV Agusta’s 500 inline-3 4-stroke Grand Prix racer is considered to be one of purest racing machines ever made. In 1974, the great Phil Read piloted the bike to the Italian marque’s Grand Prix swan song, as neither MV Agusta nor Read would ever win the championship again. Translated as The Iron Horse, this opening scene in Pierre-William Glenn’s film captures Read at his height. While the sound is brilliant, be warned that the title sequence is visually maddening, constantly interrupting beautiful footage of the MV being piloted in anger by “The Prince of Speed.”