1982 Ducati 583cc TT2 Replica

• Built by legendary TT2 mechanic Pat Slinn
• Original in-period Verlicchi frame and 600 Pantah motor
• Replica of Tony Rutter's world championship winning bike

The Ducati TT2 comes from a forgotten era, the missing link between Hailwood's 1978 TT win and Ducati's 1990s World Superbike domination. Yet the TT2 is, for many aficionados, Fabio Taglioni's finest hour. Designed in response to a domestic race series based on the Isle of Man's Formula TT world championship rules, the Italian TT F2 championship encouraged development of the ultimate 600 racer with a road bike derived engine. Not only did the TT2 beat the fancied Yamaha RD350LC and Bimota KB2 handsomely on occasion it could beat Grand Prix machinery such as Suzuki's RG500.

The Formula 2/TT rules allowed almost unlimited chassis alteration, so a big bore (81mm) 597cc version of the Pantah was squeezed into an all new frame that weighed just 7kg. Taglioni penned what was possibly the most delicate frame ever to grace a motorcycle, and Verlicchi produced the customer versions in 25mm diameter chrome-moly steel tubing. Just 50 customer TT2s were built during 1982 and '83 (including the one bought by Tony Rutter), plus a handful of factory racers which Tony occasionally rode.

Verlicchi were happy to sell frames as a stand alone – along with the additional TT2 engines Ducati sold these were intended to provide spares for racers unfortunate enough to crash. This particular TT2 replica was part of a batch built by the Netherland's Ducati importer and sold as road legal, including with lights. All had genuine Verlicchi frames and correct era Pantah engines, albeit in standard specification and thus homologated for road use.
Bought from Made in Italy Motorcycles with NOVA certificate (supplied) it was dispatched to Pat Slinn, famous as a mechanic for Mike Hailwood's and Tony Rutter's TT Ducati world championships. Pat also worked for the UK Ducati importers Coburn and Hughes before going on to Sports Motorcycles and then fettling Tony's all-conquering TT2s and TT1 (actually the TT2 with a 748cc engine) for four consecutive Formula 2 world championships.

About the only thing that Pat left alone were the original front forks: the wheels are new Campagnola, the Pantah instruments replaced with a lone tachometer and even the fuel tank breather pipe mimics the winding that allowed Tony to be certain no petrol had overflowed as he reached the bottom of Bray Hill. A truly unique tribute to Pat Slinn and Tony Rutter's achievements, a fine potential parade bike or for the committed potential the ultimate lightweight Ducati race-on-the-road. No keys supplied, or indeed anything else that adds unnecessary weight.