A superb and rare photo of the famous Ducati 750 SS of 1974.

The Ducati 750SS based on the machine that brought Ducati the legendary victory at the 200 miles race of Imola in 1972. This was debut race of Ducati’s new 750 desmodromic V-twin, with its bevel driven overhead camshafts. Works riders Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari dominated the numerous factory teams in the race, finishing 1st and 2nd on modified race versions of the 750 streetbike. It gave instant fame to Ducati’s V-twin sporting models -a fame that lasts still today! At the time it was one of, if not the, ultimate Italian cafe racer!

The Ducati 750 Imola Desmo, from what the 750SS is derived from, is one of the most famous bikes in the world.  It is best known, and, of course named after, its victory with Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari in the 200 mile race at Imola in 1972 - one of the most spectacular in racing history.  Much has been written about the fantastic final lap, which saw Smart and Spaggiari side by side almost all the way to the finishing line, but how this race changed the destiny of the Italian manufacturer has been relatively unexplored.

The win at Imola defined Ducati’s future approach to racing, with the manufacturer focusing its attention almost exclusively on production-derived machines. However, before explaining more about the importance of Paul Smart, Imola and the legendary “number 16 Ducati 750 Imola”, we must take a step back in time.

In 1972 Checco Costa bought the 200 Mile formula to Italy and Ducati prepared eight bikes to be ridden by Paul Smart, Bruno Spaggiari, Ermanno Giuliano, and Alan Dunscombe.  The bikes had production frames and engines, but were prepared, as usual, in a very short time.  Most of this work, however, probably still goes unnoticed, as it was concerned with the smallest details: wherever possible, each part of the bike was painstakingly filed down and lightened.  In addition, new Dellorto carburetors with 40 mm choke tubes and accelerator pumps arrived just in time, providing a perfect supply of fuel for the big twin-cylinder, which delivered 80 hp at 8,500 rpm.  At Imola, Spaggiari reached the finish line with his gas tank almost empty and so could not snatch the victory from Smart.

The Imola racers featured Ducati’s famous 4-stroke longitudinal split 90° V twin engine. The crankcase cylinder and cylinderheads were cast in light alloy; the cylinders had cast-iron liners. Bore and stroke was 80 x 74.4 mm. Cylinder capacity was 747.95 cc. The racers had a compression ratio of 10:1. Ducati was already famous for its desmodromic single overhead camshafts, driven by bevel-gears. It was also present on the Imola racing machines. Each head had two valves. The air cooled engine featured wet sump lubrication. Two Dell’orto PHF 40 carburetors with accelerator pump fed the fuel mixture in the combustion chambers. A twin-plug contact-breaker ignition system was present. The Imola racers had a five-speed gearbox and primary drive by gears, final drive was by chain. A wet multi-plate clutch was also present. The engine delivered a power output of 82 hp at 9,000 r.p.m. Enough for a topspeed of 156.25 mph (250 km/h)!

The Ducati 750 SS was an immense success, its racing versions made sure the production machine did what it promised. The recently introduced Ducati Sportclassic model series is yet another great tribute to the machine shown in the image. The Sport Classics were a long time coming since their introduction as concept bikes at the Tokyo Show of 2003.

The Sport Classic range comprises three different bikes: The limited edition Paul Smart 1000, inspired by the legendary Imola 200 winning machine of 1971 (and the 750 SS!), the GT1000 (inspired by the 750GT of 1973) and the single seat Sport 1000 which takes its inspiration from the bright yellow Ducati 750 Sport of 1973-1978.

Without doubt this is a rare opportunity to obtain a very nice non period image that reflects a wonderful era of Ducati’s rich history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to own this image, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 12" (ca.20 x 30 cm).

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