history
The Marusho history began in 1946 when Tadashi Ito opened his first Marusho Car Repair Shop, a company that made truck bodies for Toyota and Nissan. Two years later, Ito founded Marusho Shokai Co., Ltd, a new company which manufactured motorcycles for a period of no less than 19 years.
In 1950, the newly-founded company rolled out its first ML prototype, also known as LA, LB or LC, a motorcycle equipped with an engine of 150cc. In approximately ten years, between 1951 and 1961, Marusho managed to develop and release no less than 31 motorcycle models sharing the same Lilac brand.
The LB and LC models represented a major success for the Japanese company, the two motorcycles being followed by other popular bikes, such as the JF Baby Lilac. For almost five years, between 1955 and 1960, the Marusho company had a great period, producing no less than 8,091 bikes in 1955 and 11,241 units in 1959.
The 250cc SY grew up in popularity, being produced in two versions, 125cc and 175cc. Because the JF Baby Lilac didn't record too high sales, it was replaced by another motorcycle which also bit the dust, namely the DP Baby Lilac.
In 1962, the same year when Ito became a subcontractor for Honda, the company started developing new projects so multiple prototypes were produced.
For instance, C-103/C-105 and M-330 were two motorcycles which were expected to bring new consumers to the company. However, Marusho was then reorganized, the company being renamed to Lilac Co.
Under this new name, two 350cc flat twins, the TW Dragon and SW Lancer, were designed and rolled out on the market. However, Lilac started experiencing financial problems in 1967 so the company was sold to an employee who started producing rice cookers. Tadashi Ito, the founder of the Japanese company, died in 2005.
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