Specifications: 904 cc SOHC Desmo V-twin, six speeds.

The Ducati 900MHE was the brainchild of gifted designer Pierre Terblanche, who was looking for a way to commemorate Mike Hailwood’s amazing comeback win at the Isle of Man TT in 1978. It was also Ducati’s first try at E-commerce, and 1,000 bikes were put up for sale on the internet. They sold out in very short order and eventually another 1,000 bikes would be built, all numbered. Styling is retro but very attractive; the bike is based on the 904-cc, two-valve, air-cooled Desmo Super Sport engine, but everything else is one-off, from the complicated tank/fairing to the single-sided steel swing-arm. The striking machine is tall but handles well. Terblanche famously said that the people who “get” it will love it, and he didn’t care about the others. It is truly a destination bike for Ducati collectors. This bike is in as-new condition, having been a motor show display bike and then exhibited at the Ducati factory. It appears to have the original rear television screen instead of rear-view mirrors. As No. 3 of 2,000, its provenance is impeccable.