A motorcycle Ferrari? Yes, it exists and it is unique

Sometimes the brilliant minds at car and motorcycle brands come up with “crazy” ideas, including in the world of motorcycles. An example of this is a giant like Harley-Davidson when it wanted to compete in the scooter segment against the Lambretta and Vespa with its Topper model in 1960. Other times brands venture into unknown territory, such as Ferrari and the only motorcycle with official licence from the Italian brand.

Did Ferrari ever dare to build a motorcycle? We might think so, and I’m certain the result would be surprising, very fast and above all very expensive but, don’t worry, it’s much simpler than that. To find it we have to go back to the 1990s to see the fusion between the world of two wheels and the “Cavallino Rampante”.

David Kay was head of design at MV Agusta in 1990 and also a great admirer of Ferrari, so two years after the death of Il Commendatore he decided to pay him tribute by doing what he did best: designing a motorcycle. But this tribute would not be complete if the bike did not carry the Ferrari logos officially, so without hesitation he contacted the very Piero Ferrari, son of Enzo Ferrari, who in a letter dated 23 May 1990 gave his approval to David Kay’s project.

With Ferrari’s approval, good old David Kay set to work creating this motorcycle, a hard task that did not see the light until 1995 after no less than 3,000 hours of handcrafted work, a good sign of how special this project was. The result is the motorcycle shown alongside these lines, which we are going to break down a little further so you can see the secrets hidden in its design.

At a simple glance we can observe the beautiful tubular chassis with homologation no. SF-O1M, using the same codes and nomenclature as Ferrari, which was made from Reynolds 531 steel. This steel takes its name from the proportion of steel and manganese used in its alloy, and it has been used in iconic models such as the Jaguar E-Type of 1960, prized for providing great rigidity together with great lightness, which made it perfect for the rest of the assembly.

This steel chassis embraces a four-cylinder engine with double overhead camshaft (DOHC) layout and a displacement of 900 cc, linked to a five-speed transmission and capable of producing 105 CV of power. We may find that figure insufficient for a bike with the Ferrari logo on its sides, but we must bear in mind that its dry weight was just 172 kilograms and it could reach 265 km/h, a figure that is by no means negligible for the era.

The technology equipping this Ferrari 900 does not stop at the engine. In the chassis we find a fully adjustable inverted fork signed by Forcella Italia, while at the rear there is a twin WP shock absorber. It also fits 17-inch wheels handcrafted by Astralite and, alongside them, the Brembo brake system with dual discs and six-piston calipers on the front axle and four-piston calipers on the rear axle. Finally, at the rear we can see and appreciate the beautiful cone-shaped exhausts painted black, with two outlets on each side.

For now this Ferrari 900 belongs to a private collector, and it is known that in 2012 a little over 100,000 euros was paid for it. It was later put back up for sale at auction with a starting price of 300,000 euros, but found no buyer. We will see whether it is offered again in the future, although sadly it will be priced beyond the reach of very few.