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A Martini-Porsche or a Martini-Lancia isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but a Martini-Ducati? That’s a new one to us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t pine for Ducati’s one-off superbike trimmed in Martini livery.
The colors, it seems, were almost an afterthought. After equipping a 1098 S Superbike with virtually all the options available through Ducati’s parts catalog, the bike builder’s North American CEO and PR manager felt a special paint scheme was mandatory–and given the number of Martini-Porsches destined for the 2009 Rolex Monterey Historic Races last weekend, the Martini colors were a natural fit.
Apart from the colors and decals, modifications to the Martini-Ducati include racing camshafts, race pistons and connecting rods, a lightened crankshaft, and a gearbox built to World Superbike specifications. Ducati also added a quarter-turn throttle, billet footpegs, Ohlins race suspension, and a number of carbon fiber fairing panels.
The result is very close to the 1098 R that won the 2008 Superbike World Championship, but trimmed in a manner that leaves us both shaken and stirred. We’d love to add one in our garage, but sadly, there are no plans to offer the 1098’s successor–the 1198–in these colors anytime soon…
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