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One of the biggest winners at the 2012 RM Auctions in Monaco was the Ducati 750GT.
First introduced to the market in 1971, the 750GT was the personification of a flash-bang Ducati. It was flashy, to say the least. The first examples of the 750GT came with silver painted frames with the tank and side covers finished in a colorful blend of metallic colors that included gold, lime green, bright blue, or red.
Colors notwithstanding, the true highlight of the 750GT was its 748 cc SOHC V-twin engine that was capable of hitting top speeds in excess of 120 mph. The surest sign that Ducati went and invested a whole lot in the 750GT was because of the laborious and painstaking detail they took just to build one.
The construction of the engine was so precise that it took up to eight hours to assemble one unit, making sure that all the bevel-drive gears and bearings were correctly set up. If it was a racing engine, Ducati would take two days to build one. Initially, the bike’s sales lagged until Paul Smart won at Imola in 1972 with the 750GT, beating some of the best manufacturers this side of the galaxy. As a result, the 750GT became a legend of sorts, with Taglioni even saying that its engine was the best he ever designed.
As for the Ducati 750GT that was offered at the RM Auctions, that one came in excellent overall condition with superior paint, chrome details, and even the early Amal carburetors. The 750GT sold for a staggering ?38,025 ($48,800), a price that’s miles north of what the estimated ?12,000 - ?15,000 ($15,400 - $19,000).
Ducati 750GT originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 16 May 2012 19:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/ducati/1971-ducati-750gt-ar129545.html
