Ital Board – Motorized Skateboard
A non-skateboarding friend sent me a link to an online auction for the Ital Board, and I couldn’t find out anything about it on the interwebs, except for another auction of a slightly different version. It looks late 70’s to me, although possibly from the early 80’s.
This auction describes the board as “Believed Italian two-stroke engine fitted. Cryptonics [sic] sticker to skateboard. Cryptonics USA wheels.” Is it actually Italian? Maybe. Probably. Although both auctions appear to be U.K. based and the prices are in £ pounds, the Efco motors seems to be an Italian company. Just like the Shanahan Powerboard, the company driving the product was a small engine manufacturer.
Here’a a second auction showing a board with a different color way on the top. The fuel tank oaths one seems worse for the wear compared to the previous board, but the top graphics seem to be better preserved. Unfortunately, nobody things the bottoms of the board are worth posting, so the drive mechanism is more or less hidden.
Those early motorized setups always felt like a wild mix of garage ingenuity and skate culture. Makes me wonder how many of these were actually functional riders versus just fascinating collector pieces.
It’s interesting that this board might have an Efco motor. I’ve never heard of them being involved in skateboards before, only in small engines. Could be a neat piece for anyone interested in the history of motorized skateboards!