Okay, so the new Panigale V4 looks pretty smart, with its 214bhp motor and 174kg dry mass. But if that’s not really floating your boat, then the Bologna boys have something even more bonkers. Ridden on stage by still-the-fastest-guy-around, Mr Casey Stoner, the Panigale V4 Special takes all the stuff from the new MotoGP road replica, and turns it up from eleven, to twelve.
The basics on the Special are much the same as on the base bike, but the chassis and motor have been tickled up even further. And we now have 226bhp (with the supplied Akrapovic pipe), pushing just 164kg around. Lashings of carbonio, titanium and lightweight alloys shave 10kg off the V4, and you can save even more with the optional forged magnesium rims. Wowzers.
The top yoke is a special piece of milled art, there are adjustable rearsets with carbon plates, front and rear fendes are carbon, and there’s a race front brake lever protector. The seat is hand-stitched Alcantara, there are special bar grips, and the tricolore paint scheme is also unique to the Special.
In the box from your old uncle GigI Dall’Igna, you get lots of lovely treats too. There’s the full titanium Akrapovic race exhaust, which your neighbours will love just as much as the sound testing man at Mallory Park. A race double-bubble screen to help you get your carcass out of the breeze a little more, plus plates to remove the mirrors, and nasty old numberplate hanger.
There’s a race fuel cap, a nice bespoke cover, and perhaps most useful - Ducati’s DDA Datalogging system, which will help you work out where you need to improve your lap times.
Ducati reckon they’ll only make 1500 of these, and even that’s going to take them ages, and be a proper faff, since the various unobtainum parts are only made in small amounts, by wizened artisans. So if you want one, you better get your name down early doors, and don’t plan on getting it in time for Xmas…