Looking for an opportunity to expand, he introduced Jika-Tabi manufacturing to the business.
Born into middle class Japan, his parents owned a small but profitable clothing manufacturing company which he eventually owned.
Soichiro Ishibashi, the founder of Bridgestone, had exceptional business acumen for identifying opportunities. High quality finish always made Bridgestone’s sparkle.īridgestone’s story is one that parallels Japanese business and government policies. The Bridgestone GTR was special and indeed a fitting last model for a range of excellent motorcycles. Magazine articles complemented the GTR as the most innovative motorcycle on the market, an exercise in craftsmanship and advanced design that was practical and usable. Performance wise, there were few motorcycles capable of keeping pace both at the drag strip or the racing circuit. Quality oozed from the metallic maroon paint, chrome and polished aluminium and innovation set it in a class of its own. Even on the centre stand the 350 GTR looked fast with a racing styled petrol tank and kick-up at the rear of a long and very plush seat. Story and photos Geoffrey Ellis Fast and ferocious the Bridgestone 350 GTR had few equals in terms of performance and build-quality.īridgestone’s 350 GTR was undoubtedly the finest of the 1960s mid-sized two-stroke motorcycles in both quality and innovation and as a testament it created one of motor-cycling’s greatest myths – that the big four Japanese motorcycle companies forced Bridgestone to stop manufacturing motorcycles.
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