2003 Ducati 998 S Biposto

• One owner from new
• 2,066 miles from new
• Converted to single-seat Monoposto using all Ducati factory parts
• Numerous carbon fibre enhancements
• MoT'd to June 2024

Although Ducati's water-cooled 8-valve v-twin had been around in its original 851 and 888 incarnations for six years and indeed, had already won three World Superbike (Riders') Championships, it was the arrival of the iconic 916 in 1994 that really captured the public's imagination. Styled by Massimo Tamburini, the 916 and its subsequent evolutions established Ducati as one of the world's foremost brand names. Universally recognised as icons of automotive art, Ducati motorcycles have been exhibited in some of the world's foremost museums, including the Guggenheim in New York and the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. The Ducati 916 won the World Superbike Championship in its 1994 debut season and its evolutions three times after that. Enough said. For 1999, the stronger and much improved 996cc engine of the limited-edition 916 SPS was standardised on the new 996 model, while a Ducati Corse works development took Carl Fogarty to his fourth World Superbike Championship that same year. The final iteration of Tamburini's vision, the 998, arrived in 2002 and was one of the first models to feature the new Testastretta (narrow head) engine, designed by former Ferrari engineer, Angiolino Marchetti. The 998cc Testastretta had first appeared in the limited production and confusingly named 996 R, and this same engine went into the 998 S for Europe.

Purchased new by our vendor from Bob Hill Motorcycles in Hertford, this 998 S Biposto has been kept as more of an objet d'art, seeing little actual use and never in inclement weather (the current odometer reading is 2,066 miles). The machine is registered as a Ducati Biposto (two-seater) but the vendor had Bob Hill convert the motorcycle to single-seat Monoposto using all Ducati factory parts. It has the factory stand; Termignoni exhaust with ECU remap to suit by JHP Racing (Ducati Coventry); Ducati Corse frame plugs; and numerous carbon fibre parts: air box, air tubes, headlamp holder, fairing support brackets, footrest heel plates, chain cover, clutch cover, ignition key scrape protector, and tank protector.

Servicing has been carried out by Millsport Ducati in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland. The machine was MoT'd in June 2023, this being the last occasion it was ridden. It comes with sundry bills, old/current V5/V5C registration certificates, original Ducati documentation, and two keys.