Photo: RahalDucati / Bring a Trailer
What we’re looking at here is more of a showpiece rather than something you’d ride on a regular basis, so its mileage really doesn’t surprise us.
Paul Smart’s victory at the 1972 Imola 200 race will forever be remembered as one of the most memorable moments in Ducati’s racing history, and there have been many! The startling production motorcycle built to commemorate this occasion made its debut more than three decades later, with a total of 2,000 limited-edition copies leaving the factory.
We are, of course, talking about the 2006 MY Paul Smart 1000 LE – a bike that many Ducatistas would regard as the crown jewel of their collection. The specimen displayed right above these paragraphs is currently located at Graham Rahal’s Indiana-based dealership, and it comes equipped with the gorgeous side fairings offered by Ducati as an optional feature.
This majestic rarity is currently heading to auction with eleven miles (18 km) under its belt and oodles of wallet-lightening potential. The bidding process will remain open on Bring a Trailer until July 2, which makes us wonder if anyone will venture to outdo the eye-watering top bid of $34k in the coming days.
At its core, the PS1000LE holds an air-cooled 992cc desmodromic L-twin with two valves per cylinder head, Marelli EFI componentry, and 92 ponies on tap. This horsepower figure will be achieved at around 8,000 rpm, and it’s accompanied by a peak torque output of 67 pound-feet (91 Nm) lower down the rev range. A six-speed gearbox transfers the oomph to the bike’s rear hoop via a drive chain, resulting in speeds of up to 135 mph (217 kph).
With a dry weight of 399 pounds (181 kg), the Duc will only require 3.1 seconds to hit 60 mph (96 kph) from a standstill. Its suspension arrangement consists of 43 mm (1.7 inches) upside-down Ohlins forks at the front and an adjustable piggyback monoshock at the rear. Braking is achieved through 320 mm (12.6 inches) discs up north and a single 245 mm (9.6 inches) module down south.
We are, of course, talking about the 2006 MY Paul Smart 1000 LE – a bike that many Ducatistas would regard as the crown jewel of their collection. The specimen displayed right above these paragraphs is currently located at Graham Rahal’s Indiana-based dealership, and it comes equipped with the gorgeous side fairings offered by Ducati as an optional feature.
This majestic rarity is currently heading to auction with eleven miles (18 km) under its belt and oodles of wallet-lightening potential. The bidding process will remain open on Bring a Trailer until July 2, which makes us wonder if anyone will venture to outdo the eye-watering top bid of $34k in the coming days.
At its core, the PS1000LE holds an air-cooled 992cc desmodromic L-twin with two valves per cylinder head, Marelli EFI componentry, and 92 ponies on tap. This horsepower figure will be achieved at around 8,000 rpm, and it’s accompanied by a peak torque output of 67 pound-feet (91 Nm) lower down the rev range. A six-speed gearbox transfers the oomph to the bike’s rear hoop via a drive chain, resulting in speeds of up to 135 mph (217 kph).
With a dry weight of 399 pounds (181 kg), the Duc will only require 3.1 seconds to hit 60 mph (96 kph) from a standstill. Its suspension arrangement consists of 43 mm (1.7 inches) upside-down Ohlins forks at the front and an adjustable piggyback monoshock at the rear. Braking is achieved through 320 mm (12.6 inches) discs up north and a single 245 mm (9.6 inches) module down south.
Google News