1972 MV Agusta 750 fetches £84,400 at auction

A collection of rare and exotic MV Agustas have been auctioned off at Retromobile, Paris, including some of the finest works of one of motorcycling’s greatest designer: Massimo Tamburini.

MORE FROM MCN

• Ducati electric mountain bike arrives in dealers
• Get money off insurance on V4 Panigales
• Yamaha reveal 2019 MotoGP colours
• Bag a used Ducati Diavel
• Great deals on used motorcycle kit
• Ridden: Norton V4SS

The honour of top-selling price on the day went to a 1972 MV Agusta 750 ex-Arturo Merzario that fetched €96,300 (£84,462).

Other notable sales included:

• 1951 MV Agusta 500 CM3 4C Cardano Corsa – €84,300 (£73,960)
• 1972 MV Agusta 750 S John Surtees Tribute – €72,200 (£63,307)
• 1960 MV Agusta 125 Bialbero Corsa Special – €54,200 (£47,524)
• 1969 MV Agusta 250 Raid Scrambler – €16,900 (£14,818)
• 1974 MV Agusta 350 Sport Elettronico – €8700 (£7628)

Attendees at the auction were also treated to an appearance by fifteen-time world champion, Giacomo Agostini who came on stage with an F4 Tamburini (that unfortunately didn’t sell). But a lucky bidder did manage to scoop up a one-of-a-kind minimoto.

Working with Paventa pocket bikes, Tamburini began to design a mini-F4 series going as far as making an entire prototype himself. His death in 2014 brought the project to an unfortunate end and the production run was never completed. This true one of a kind machine sold for €4200 (£3682).

---

MV Agusta F4 Tamburini

First shown in 2005, the F4 Tamburini was a special edition of a special edition. A tribute to the man himself, the Tamburini took the standard bike and equipped it with the finest parts available.

Having penned the Ducati 916, which would be good enough for most people to retire, Tamburini went on to create the MV Agusta F4 – one of the world’s most beautiful and longest living sportsbikes.

To celebrate his achievements, MV created the F4 Tamburini, with the very first one ever built failing to sell in the Retromobile auction.

The entire bike was wrapped in carbon fibre (bar the tank) and had an F1 derived Sachs shock, 50mm Marzocchi USD forks, lightweight Nissin brakes and forged Marchesini wheels.

Combined with plenty of magnesium, including the fork crown and swingarm, the F4 Tamburini tipped the scales at just 183kg dry. The Tamburini wasn’t just a tart up of the original F4 1000 either – it was the first model to feature variable length intake tracts to improve the low end torque, without sacrificing outright power. The result was 170bhp and a top speed in excess of 190mph. A fitting tribute to one of motorcycling’s keenest eyes.

This particular model featured here was the show bike built by MV when they unveiled it to the world. As such the fork crown is engraved “Tamburini – Claudio Castiglioni – n°001” whereas the final production models were numbered XXX/300.

Find a used motorbike for sale.