DREAM GARAGE: Ducati 1199 Panigale Superbike
The Ducati 1199 Panigale. Are you ready to ride?
After months of anticipation, the Ducati 1199 Panigale Superbike is finally here.
Yay!
Promising to be the most advanced, fastest and illest bike in their 2012 range, the 1199 Panigale Superbike takes Ducati to the next evolution in two-wheeled motorsport.
The Ducati 1199 Panigale Superbike. Now imagine racing Trinity from the Matrix: Reloaded while on aforementioned superbike.
To be honest, when we first saw these pictures of the 1199 Panigale, we immediately got transported back to 2003 watching Carrie-Ann Moss as Trinity in The Matrix Reloaded, where she rode the Ducati 996 to escape from Agents with the Keymaster (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF9AC2Ce2ow).
Mmmmm… Trinity on a Ducati. So good.
We really loved that 996 design and definitely think this 1199 Panigale pays homage to Ducati’s tradition of awesomeness.
The first thing we thought about? Trinity from the Matrix: Reloaded. The second thing? How disgustingly sick the new 1199 Panigale is.
According to today’s press release:
Ducati has unveiled the long-awaited 1199 Panigale Superbike alongside its entire 2012 range in a stylish Press Conference at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, Italy. Setting a new benchmark in the motorcycle industry with their ground-breaking and innovative new Superbike, the Italian manufacturer’s incredible lineup of dream motorcycles are now set to be exhibited from 10-13 November at EICMA 2011, the 69th edition of the Milan International Motorcycle Show.
During the unveiling, Gabriele Del Torchio, President of Ducati Motor Holding stated, “Ducati has continued to increase its market share,production volumes and global sales, confirming their solid position and underlining the efficient and well organised business structure that will now serve the company in the coming years.”
Furthermore:
“It is the hard work of all the men and women at Ducati that has resulted in the positive results that I present today and it validates the strategy we followed during the period 2007-2011,” said Gabriele Del Torchio during the conference. “Thanks to our focus on product development, increased investment and our work to maintain the desirability of our brand around the world, I take great satisfaction in announcing that 2011 has been the most successful year in the history of Ducati.”
“Sales of approximately 42,000 motorcycles have generated revenues of €480m, a 20% increase over the previous year and just reward for our highly innovative products. It gives us the confidence to believe in the pillars of our strategy and to continue on our ‘mission’ to be specialist leaders of the sportbike segment by further developing innovative and class-leading motorcycles.”
“All of this has enabled us to present the incredible new 1199 Panigale, the new benchmark in the sportbike arena. Without doubt, this has been the most ambitious project in Ducati’s history and underlines our engineering excellence and ‘product emotion’, an aspect of our brand which, in such a competitive market place, has become more important than ever. This motorcycle represents pure Italian style, the reference point for performance and a safety-enhanced, confidence-inspiring experience for our customers on road and track.”
“We are particularly proud to have created a special ‘Tricolore’ version of this new motorcycle, in the red, white and green of Italy. What better occasion to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our national flag and underline our role and responsibility as ambassadors of the title ‘made in Italy’, than with a product of such style and technical excellence.”
Ducati Motor Holding General Manager, Claudio Domenicali continued:
“Throughout our long and successful twin-cylinder history of racing, Ducati has never built a sportbike as advanced as the 1199 Panigale,” said Claudio Domenicali during his presentation. “We are moving into a new generation with a ‘revolution’ of the species that establishes new limits for the category. Its Desmodromic heart, the new Superquadro engine, is the most powerful twin-cylinder ever produced and represents the base of a new concept of frame and engine integration. This concept enables the 1199 Panigale a dry weight of just 164kg and gives it a riding sensation that is closer than ever to a full race bike. With revised ergonomics, full Ride-by-Wire engine management and enhanced systems of ABS and traction control, we have controlled the beast within the 1199 Panigale so that the full emotion of this motorcycle can be enjoyed easily and safely.”
The Ducati press release also stated:
Indeed, the 2012 Ducati Superbike family marks the official introduction of the ground-breaking 1199 Panigale, 1199 Panigale S and flagship 1199 Panigale S Tricolore and opens a new chapter in the company’s iconic Superbike history. Available early in 2012, Ducati’s new generation Superbike, goes beyond the barriers of motorcycle design and engineering to set the most extreme benchmark ever and the direction for future sport bikes. Developed in the red-hot environment of racing and designed to raise the performance bar to its highest, the 1199 Panigale uses innovative Ducati Corse-derived solutions to make World Championship level technology available to everyone.
The most high tech, most powerful twin-cylinder production engine on the planet is now an integral part of an innovative monocoque chassis that combine to deliver an astonishing 195hp from 164kg (361.5lb) of futuristic Italian thoroughbred. The highest production motorcycle power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios in the world are fitting trophies for the incredible results that Ducati have achieved. Bred for the track and trained for the road, the new 1199 Panigale is a true revolution of the species destined to influence the entire sportsbike environment.
With the click of a button, Ducati’s Riding Mode concept delivers performance with enhanced rider confidence by combining seven class-leading technologies. The latest-generation sports ABS system, Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES), Ducati Quick-Shift (DQS), Ducati’s new race-derived Engine Brake Control (EBC) and Ride-by-Wire (RbW) are now all programmed into seamless, electronic rider assistance. Even the full colour Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display changes to suit the rider’s environment.
State-of-the-art from the ground-up and melding latest technologies with exciting new family features, the 1199 Panigale is totally “Ducati” in every respect. Its no-compromise approach to sport design and stylish attention to incredibly fine detail presents authentic Italian performance at its purist. The highly successful 848EVO and new for 2012, 848EVO Corse Special Edition with enhanced electronics, suspension and stunning Ducati Corse livery, complete an incredible 2012 Ducati Superbike range.
So are you ready to take delivery of your own Ducati 1199 Panigale Superbike?
Yes, but tight on cash like us?
No worries, you can check out more photos and information about the Ducati 1199 Panigale Superbike on Ducati’s official site: http://www.ducati.com/.
I’m sure it will be available for you when you finally resolve your cashflow issues.
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[...] starters, the “Belle of the Ball” had to be the Ducati 1199 Panigale. It was the bike that I had to go back to over and over again (having beautiful models doing a [...]