"Could you bring out a couple of bikes that the Ferrari guys might appreciate?" asked Eric Rassmusan from Cavallino, the annual Ferrari convention in Palm Beach, FL. I took these photos at the end of the day after the Friday track day at Moroso Motorsports Park of the three bikes we brought out for display. These three bikes are personal favorites, rare and special - all three began life in Bologna, traveled to other countries and ended up here in the USA. One, the 175SS literally changed my life. It's my absolute favorite machine. Turns out Sandhill Cranes like it too....
Photos by Vicki Smith
Rich Lambrechts warming up the F1. This bike is ridden often.
This is the first running example of an F1 produced. Originally shipped to Australia for the world wide launch, this prototype/pre-production F1 was purchased there and shipped to the USA where it now lives a warm and happy life in the Smith/Lambrechts household.
The most obvious difference between this one and a regular production F1 is the shape of the hand formed tank and the raised filler neck, making it look more like a race bike than the production models.
This 450 Desmo "disk brake" Ducati is one of 15 produced for the Australia market at the end of the production run. The factory used the remaining parts to build this special run at the Australian distributers request. The last "regular" models were made in 1974, this run was produced in 1978 and probably qualifies as one of the rarest Ducati's built. This one was imported from Hobart, Tasmania.
From a capability standpoint this is considered the ultimate Ducati single.