Ducati admits it is building Smart rep

Ducati has finally admitted it is building a modern-day replica of Paul Smart’s 1972 Imola 200-winning 750SS –three years after MCN told you it was coming.

The bike follows on from the successful MH900e Mike Hailwood replica, which has just finished its production run of 2000 units.

The bike is expected to be heavily based on the MH900e – sharing a similar tubular steel trellis chassis. However, it is not clear whether the engine will be the 75bhp air-cooled 900cc two-valve unit from the MH900e, or whether it will cash-in on the original’s " 750 " name. It could do this by either using the current 750SS’s injected, two-valve, 64bhp air-cooled engine or even the much more powerful, 97bhp, water-cooled, four-valve Desmoquattro motor from the 748.

The bike’s styling will be the work of Pierre Terblanche, the man behind the MH900e and the controversial new Multistrada.

Terblanche said: " The styling for the Paul Smart replica is already done. Of course, it is never simple to get a bike into production, but we already have a good starting point for this one.

More in MCN, on sale on Wednesday, March 6, 2002.