New Ducati: £6k, 220kg, 5.7bhp?

It’s £6100, manageably powerful, made in Bologna and a Ducati – but will it displace the 696 Monster on many entry-level Duke wishlists? Possibly not, despite besting it on weather protection and tank range. It’s the latest, as yet unannounced iteration of the FreeDuck hybrid quadricycle (a car you can drive on a bike license).

And yes it is made by Ducati – albeit Ducati Energia, not Ducati Motor Holding, the sibling firm from which it split in 1948. Find a Ducati for sale

The FreeDuck combines a 100cc four-stroke single with twin wheel-mounted electric motors, and its chief advance over previous versions appears to be plastic doors (they used to be fabric). It takes eight hours to charge and has so-far proved popular with postal services in Croatia and Belgium.

The two Ducati firms have been divergent journeys since their split, one leading to worldwide success on the race track and the other a 1985 merger with Zanussi.

This is closest they’ve come to once again having common ground. Ducati Motor Holding boss Claudio Domenicali is not yet reported to be crapping himself.

Ducati FreeDuck
Price £6100
Power 5.7bhp
Weight 220kg
Range 200 miles
Top speed 28mph