If you know me at all, you know I can't resist a weird story. This one, well, it's very weird.
You may remember a boutique EV motorcycle maker calling itself Soriano Motori, as it started making noise during the global COVID pandemic, announcing that it was resurrecting yet another long-dead motorcycle brand from the annals of history to be reborn in the 21st century. A story that, if you, like me, have been around for a few minutes, you've probably heard at least a few times by now.
It showed off some designs, announced that it planned to accept cryptocurrency as payment, and basically did what it could to keep itself in the public eye as it publicized its planned operations. Of course, as an allegedly Italian brand, it also announced plans to show up at EICMA 2021; as you do.
We haven't heard a lot from the company in a few minutes, but that's more common than you think, especially with startup efforts. One day, you're shooting out press releases left and right about all your big plans; and then, for the next several years, you're all radio silence, all the time.
But then, in 2025, things got weird. Real weird. Let me explain.
Will The Real Soriano Please Stand Up?
On April 23, 2025, a man claiming the Spanish noble title of 5th Marqués de Ivanrey, whose name is Felipe Thomas y de la Gándara, filed suit in the US District Court of the Eastern District of New York against Soriano Motori founder Marco Antonion Soriano.
Among his allegations are claims of false advertising and unfair competition with regard to Soriano Motori. But the weirdest claim made against Soriano (the man) is that he is not, in fact, related to historic Spanish motorcycle maker Ricardo Soriano von Scholtz und Hermensdorff, who also bore the Spanish noble title of 2nd Marqués de Ivanrey. Also, the plaintiff maintains that Marco Soriano is also completely unrelated to Fernando Soriano y Gaviria, 1st Marqués de Ivanrey.
But it gets weirder, friends.
Additional text in the official complaint filed in court reads, "Defendant [Marco Antonio Soriano], however, is presenting himself as part of Plaintiff’s immediate or distant family and is using this false association to sell electric motorcycles that are purportedly derived from the creations of Ricardo Soriano von Scholtz und Hermensdorff, 2nd Marqués de Ivanrey. These false and misleading statements include using Plaintiff’s family name without his consent and insinuating that Defendant holds a Spanish nobility title, the Marqués de Ivanrey, and/or is related to Plaintiff’s Spanish nobility line."
Exhibits that the plaintiff presents as evidence to back their claims include a variety of posts that Soriano Motori has made online, from items on the company's website to social media posts and Reels. Other exhibits include several news articles about Soriano Motori developments, from both international general-interest newspapers and specialist motorcycle publications.
In some of these posts filed as evidence with the Court, Marco Antonio Soriano talks about Ricardo Soriano being his grandfather, although that clearly wasn't always the case.
Back when RideApart first wrote about him, I even mentioned the possibility that he might merely share a surname, and that the exact relationship wasn't clear at that time. I mean, it'd be a bit like assuming everyone with the last name of Smith is related, wouldn't it?
The plaintiff has requested a jury trial, and is seeking damages, disgorgement of unlawful profits obtained by what they claim are deceptive practices, immediate prohibition of the defendant from continuing to infringe upon what the plaintiff says are his rights, cancellation of the Soriano Motori design mark with the US Patent and Trademark Office, and all attorney's fees paid by the defendant.
It's unclear what will come of this case, but I'm guessing none of us had this unexpected drama on our 2025 EV motorcycle industry bingo cards. If you have any thoughts on the matter, let us know in the comments!
