A new limited edition Ducati will pay tribute to the legendary twin-cylinder engine in the form of the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition.
Unveiled this weekend during the eighth round of the World Superbike Championship in Laguna Seca, California, the Final Edition offers unparalleled technology, performance and design.
Each 1299 Panigale R Final Edition is individually numbered and comes powered by a Euro 4 compliant offshoot of the 1299 Superleggera engine, producing 206bhp at 11,000rpm and 142Nm of torque at 9,000 rpm. On a bike weighing just 179kg, that makes for some serious punch.
Ducati’s twin-cylinder engine effectively wrote the World Superbike Championship record books and it is tough to think of a more suitable way to see it off.
The bike itself features a lighter crankshaft with a larger crank pin and tungsten balancing pads, as well as titanium con-rods and intake-exhaust valves.
As on superbike engines, the two 116mm diameter pistons have just two segments and slide on steel cylinder liners.
The chassis setup on this latest Ducati supersport is identical to that of the Panigale R, comprising Öhlins mechanical suspension, a 24-degree rake and an ultra-compact monocoque structure.
Advanced electronics play a vital part in the bike’s brilliance too, with ABS cornering, Ducati Wheelie Control EVO, Ducati Traction Control EVO and Engine Brake Control. There are also three riding modes – race, sport and wet – which can be personalised to the rider’s liking.
We haven’t even mentioned the gorgeous all-new tricolour livery yet either, which should cement its cult status amongst the Ducati community.
After unveiling the superbike in California, Ducati Motor Holding boss Claudio Domenicali reckoned that no other motorcycle manufacturer had bound its name so tightly to an engine as Ducati had to its sports twin-cylinder.
He commented: “We want to pay homage to a twin-cylinder engine that – thanks to incredible torque and compactness – has seen Ducati win races in every SBK championship it has ever participated in. In short, it’s the engine that has written World Superbike history.
“From Marco Lucchinelli’s first victory on 3rd April 1988 with the 851 at Donington Park in the first-ever world championship for modified production models, to the stunning 2017 wins by Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri on the Panigale R, Ducati has won no less than 333 races and taken 17 Constructors’ titles and 14 Rider’s titles.”
How much, you ask? Ducati isn’t saying right now, you’d have to contact a dealer, and we’re not falling for that trick; we’d end up buying two!
Visit Ducati.com for more details.
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