Today in motorcycle history, December 20, 2008

  A Ferrari motorcycle?! I can own it?!  Yessiree, Bob...  According t the auction house Bonhams Switzerland, this 1995 built-from-scratch motorcycle was the brainchild of MV Agusta guru David Kay, who conceived of the bike as a tribute to Enzo Ferrari. In a letter enclosed with the motorcycle which will be auctioned soon, Enzo's son Piero granted Kay "the approval to place the Ferrari badge on your motorbike".
  The product of 3,000 hours of labor, this one-off bike features:
a tubular chassis constructed of Reynolds 531 alloy, 900cc four-cylinder engine that produces 105 horsepower, a dry weight of 379 lbs and a top speed of 165 mph.
  The engine is a 900cc, transverse, double overhead camshaft, four cylinder, eight valve unit with magnesium and alloy casings, driven through a five speed gearbox. The tubular chassis is made of Reynolds 531 tube, engineering on the motorcycle is irreproachable and the detail is quite astounding. The attention to this is quite incredible, with the master cylinder built into the obviously one off digital instrument panel and is again portrayed with the exquisite steering damper. Terry Hall, who also produced the double curvature reverse cone megaphones, made the entire bodywork out of aluminium. In Kay's own words these are too beautiful to merely funnel exhaust gases from engine to atmosphere; 'the noise is like a Messerschmitt chasing a Spitfire'.
  OK, just let me take it around the block, just once.
  I'll be careful.   I promise...