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BARE MINIMALISM: The instruments of the Sport 1000. |
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RETRO CHIC: The Sport 1000 is pared down to the basics. |
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PAUL SMART 1000: The bike pays homage to the man who won the prestigious Imola 200 mile race in the bike's competition debut. |
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HANDS-ON MANAGEMENT: Ducati CEO Federico Minoli (left, on the Sport 1000) and Gianluigi Mengoli, president of the Ducati Foundation, at the start of the 2005 Motogiro d'Italia. |
Unexpected entries in classic Italian event
May 25, 2005
Ducati surprised the competitors and spectators at the start of this week's Motogiro d'Italia regularity trial in northern Italy with an unexpected preview of two of its three Sportclassic retro bikes.
This 1970's-inspired range of bikes reflects the timeless styling of the first L-twins from the Borgo Panigale factory.
The two pre-production machines were ridden by Ducati chief executive Federico Minoli and Gianluigi Mengoli, president of the Ducati Foundation.
The Paul Smart 1000 pays homage to the legendary Ducati 750 Imola racer and its rider, Paul Smart, who won the 1972 Imola 200-mile race.
The Motogiro's appearance was the first time the production colour scheme of sea-green frame and silver bodywork had been seen in public.
The colours were inspired by the 1974 750SS model - Smart's race bike had an ordinary black frame.
The Sport 1000 stands out alongside the tribute to Paul Smart with its bold yellow paint reminiscent of the 1973 SuperSport 750. It's a classic café racer, pared down to the basics, with taut, almost austere styling.
The Sportclassic series was first displayed at the 2003 Tokyo motor show. Since then public reaction was so strong that Ducati scheduled the launch of the bikes earlier than expected – and previewed the first two rideable examples ahead of time.
Production of the Paul Smart model will begin in September 2005, with the Sport 1000 due in October, six months ahead of schedule.
The third model, the GT 1000, will also be produced early, starting in the second quarter of 2006.
As soon as the the two prototypes have completed the Motogiro d'Italia, which will end on Saturday (May 28), they'll go back to the factory for further testing and production engineering.
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