• Delivered new in Italy
• Laid up in dry storage for almost 30 years
• Restored in 2016 (bills and photographs available)

It was, without question, Paul Smart's famous victory at Imola in April 1972 that really put Ducati's new v-twin on the map. It was a particularly sweet occasion for hitherto un-fancied Ducati, as the Bologna factory defeated not only the race-proven Triumph Tridents of Percy Tait, John Cooper and Ray Pickrell, but also the works 750 MV Agusta of Giacomo Agostini. With such an outstanding pedigree, the 750SS was a natural choice for racing's Superbike category, and later on proved highly competitive in AMA 'Battle of the Twins' (BOTT) and club Super Street racing in the 1980s.

Smart's bike was based on the 750 Sport roadster introduced that same year. The racer's cycle parts remained close to stock - even the centre stand lugs were retained! - merely being up-rated with triple Lockheed disc brakes while the engine gained desmodromic cylinder heads, high-compression pistons and stronger con-rods. When the definitive production version - the 750 SS - appeared in 1974 it differed little in overall conception from the Imola '72 bikes, among the most obvious external differences being the adoption of a centre-axle fork and Brembo front brakes. The big 'Imola' fuel tank and humped racing seat both featured on the road bike, which wore a cockpit faring rather than the racer's fuller streamlining.

The 750 SS received rave reviews in the motorcycling press, being hailed by Cycle magazine as "a bike that stands at the farthest reaches of the sporting world - the definitive factory-built café racer". Today the 750 SS is regarded as a true landmark model and is one of the most sought-after of all Ducatis.

One of the last Ducati 750 SS models produced in 1975 (the declaration of conformity is dated 15th December 1975, copy on file), this stunning example was purchased new in January 1976 at a price of 1,870,000 Italian lire. The first registration was 'TO 310904' and the first owner was a resident of Collegno near Turin. He would keep the Ducati until 1976 when it changed hands, passing to another resident of the same town for two million lire, indicating that this model has always been highly regarded. It is reported that the second owner had planned to use the Ducati in some amateur races, but financial restraints kept him from doing so and in any case a lien of 1,165,000 lire had been placed on the bike in favour of a Turin-based company. At the end of 1977 this lien had been resolved and the Ducati changed hands again in 1978, this time for the princely sum of 2.5 million lire, and again in February 1980 for two million lire – still more than the original purchase price, five years later!

This last owner kept the Ducati for a long time. Reportedly a flamboyant character, he partially repainted the 750 SS in pink and called it the 'Pink Panther'. In 1986 Italy introduced the obligation to wear a helmet on motorcycles. In the owner's opinion, "the helmet takes away all the joy of riding a motorcycle" so the Ducati was laid up in a garage in Turin and not used again.

Our vendor was able to purchase the bike in 2014 from that very garage where it had spent almost 30 years in storage. He embarked on a comprehensive restoration over two years (pictures and parts invoices on file), guided by the books written by Ian Fallon (the Bevel Twin guru), and returned the Ducati to its former splendour.

The engine has been overhauled by an experienced Ducati mechanic, and traces of the red and blue paint as applied by the Ducati mechanics in 1975 were found still on the horizontal cylinder head. According to the vendor, all major parts are original and have been restored. The fuel tank has been internally treated so as to withstand the ethanol content of modern petrol. The Ducati comes with Italian registration documents as well as an FMI (Federazione Motociclistica Italiana) passport. As stated by the vendor: "it is really fast, very entertaining.. and extremely loud!"