Ewan McGregor Stars in Ad Campaign for 2013 Moto Guzzi California 1400
Fri, 05 Apr 2013
Considering how much his films “Long Way Round” and “Long Way Down” for popularizing the GS, you’d think Scottish actor Ewan McGregor was a BMW guy. His friend and co-star in those two travelogues, Charley Boorman is a BMW brand ambassador, and it’d be easy to assume McGregor is as well.
The truth is McGregor, well known for his love of motorcycles, is a much bigger fan of Moto Guzzi. McGregor has owned several Moto Guzzis including a California Vintage and an Ambassador. McGregor also made Moto Guzzi‘s home in Mandello del Lario, Italy, a stop in “Long Way Down”.
With Moto Guzzi entering a rebirth with the launch of its new flagship California 1400 models, it seemed a natural connection for McGregor to become the face of the new California. The “Star Wars” and “Trainspotting” star recently got a chance to test both the Tourer and Custom versions of the California 1400, and soon after decided to star in Moto Guzzi’s latest ad campaign called “My Bike, My Pride“.
“I’m proud to have starred in this advertising campaign. I think we have really done something unique and great. I liked the new California 1400 straight away, from the first time I saw it. Then it surprised me when I rode it. It is from another planet… truly surprising!” says McGregor. “And this is coming from someone who knows Moto Guzzi, if you consider that my ten Moto Guzzis include models like the 1971 V7 Ambassador, the 1972 V7 Sport, the 1974 V7 Eldorado, the 2000 V11, the 2001 V11 Tenni, the 2009 California Vintage with a sidecar… and very soon a California 1400 Custom!”
McGregor took a break during production of his next film, “Son of a Gun” to take part in a two-day shoot with photographer Paolo Zambaldi in western Australia. One day was spent taking pictures with the California 1400 Touring in the fishing village of Lancelin and another in Perth with the California 1400 Custom. The actor also filmed a short video about Moto Guzzi and the new Californias. The photos will be used in advertising across Europe and on the Internet.
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[Source: Moto Guzzi]
By Dennis Chung
See also: Piaggio Reports 2012 Sales Results, Moto Guzzi Taking the Motorcycle Show Experience to Airports to Promote the California 1400, 2012 US Motorcycle Sales Results – Industry Reports 2.6% Increase.