1957 Ducati 125 Sport
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Year of manufacture1957
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Car typeOther
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Lot number117
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DriveLHD
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ConditionUsed
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Location
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Exterior colourOther
Description
In the 1950s, Ducati’s single-cylinder motorcycles established the company as a true world-class manufacturer. Famed engineer Fabio Taglioni was hired in 1954 and developed a double overhead cam 125 CC “Bialbero” Grand Prix racer designed with the goal of winning the 125 CC World Championship. According to marque authority Ian Falloon, approximately 50 examples of the 125 Grand Prix were made available to privateers from 1957 to 1959, and they were the most competitive bikes accessible to them.
Ian Falloon’s exhaustive report on this motorcycle notes that it is known to have been ridden in Spain by Ricardo Fargas, the sales director of the Ducati subsidiary Mototrans and one of the leading Spanish Ducati riders of the 1960s. Fargas was noted for his endurance racing, winning the Montjuïc 24-hour race twice. According to Falloon’s report, “Apart from a few details as described in this report, the bike is very original and has been sympathetically restored.”
The consignor, who owns one of the most significant Ducati collections in the US, purchased the motorcycle approximately 10 years ago from a collection in Germany and has kept it in static storage. He notes the engine stamping, which has been stamped over with “100002,” may have denoted this as one of two race bikes run by a single team. With its magnesium Amadori brakes, twin-cam engine, and 11,500 rpm redline, this is a truly exotic Grand Prix racer and would be a worthy addition to any collection.