In the early 2000s, Ducati was a ship sailing on decidedly troubled waters. The departure of the legendary Massimo Tamburini to MV Agusta (where he created the stunning F4 750) and the appointment of Pierre Terblanche as his successor as head of design had not gone well. Terblanche’s modern and angular styling contrasted with Tamburini’s use of more elegant curves and his new look for Ducati’s bikes was widely being criticised. Despite dominating on track, the 999 superbike was proving a rather embarrassing sales flop and his other radical creations, such as the Multistrada and 749, were equally controversial among the rather traditional Ducatisti. Something needed to be done and so Terblanche looked to Ducati’s past for inspiration. The result was the SportClassic range.
After initially launching the concept with the limited edition 2002 Mike Hailwood replica, the MH900e, of which only 2000 were made, Ducati chose the Tokyo Motorshow of 2003 to unveil a whole new range of prototype machines under the ‘SportClassic’ banner. So positive was the reaction that two years later, the first of the road-going production bikes were shown. At which point things started to turn sour...
The first mass-production models to be unveiled in the SportClassic range were the limited edition 2006 Paul Smart replica and standard Sport 1000. Inspired by Smart’s 1972 Imola winning 750, the Smart bike came with an air-cooled 992cc motor, silver half-fairing and ultra-cool sea green frame, as well as Öhlins suspension and a price tag to reflect its limited run of 2000 units. The Sport, which was launched alongside and not limited in its production numbers, took its styling from café racers and the 1973 750 Sport, and although it shared a chassis (albeit with lower spec Sachs suspension) and engine with the Smart tribute, it had a single front headlight and bold yellow paintwork. These were two great looking bikes that certainly pulled on the heritage heart strings. All should have been well for the SportClassic range, however very quickly there were grumbles of disapproval.
Ducati hoped that the SportClassic models would appeal to fans of Ducati’s heritage but the issue with this market is that the customer base tends also to be somewhat mature - and with age not only comes wisdom but also aching joints, something the SportClassic models didn’t really account for. Older riders didn’t appreciate the Sport and Smart’s low clip-ons ‘bars, nor the lack of a pillion seat, and despite Ducati responding by re-positioning the bars on the Sport, sales remained poor. Would the next SportClassic in the line-up be the saviour for this modern retro range?
A year after the Sport was unveiled, Ducati released the GT1000. Taking inspiration from the 1971 750GT, this SportClassic introduced a more relaxed riding position with flat bars, twin chrome pipes and a spacious rider/pillion seat. This was the bike the older SportClassic fan was waiting for, however by this time Ducati had teased them for too long and they had run out of patience and the momentum required for sales had stalled. Even the introduction of the Sport 1000S, which was essentially a cheaper Smart bike, and a Sport 1000 biposto (twin seat) wasn’t enough to save the SportClassic range and in 2010 production was stopped after less than four years on sale. Which is when, ironically, the retro-racer market really started to take off.
Unluckily for Ducati, almost as soon as they pulled the plug on the SportClassic range, a new movement within motorcycling began to emerge. Led by pioneers such as the London-based Bike Shed (which opened its doors in 2011), the ‘hipster’ movement saw retro-styled bikes suddenly at the forefront of fashion. If it had an air-cooled engine, café racer styling and could be easily modified, it was cool. And, for this younger audience, the SportClassic ticked every box.
Almost overnight SportClassic models became incredibly sought-after and second-hand prices more than doubled. In 2007 you would have been lucky to get £5000 for a used Sport 1000, but by 2014 it was worth over £10,000. Despite every other manufacturer releasing café racer style bikes, including the BMW R nineT Racer, Kawasaki Z900RS Café, Triumph Street Cup, Yamaha XSR1300 Racer and more, Ducati stayed resolute in their decision and the SportClassic range was never re-released. Instead they developed the Scrambler models, which also used an air-cooled engine but avoided looking anything like the SportClassics.
Was it an opportunity missed? Hindsight is a wonderful thing but when you look at the success of the Scrambler models you have to say Ducati got it right because while the small-capacity models have sold well, the bigger 1100 was a flop. As for SportClassic models, now the hipster trend has passed its peak, their prices are returning to more normal numbers. If you are after a great-looking modern retro (and have enough strength in your wrists to deal with a sporty riding position) the Sport 1000 and Sport 1000S remain both beautiful to look at and to ride. But our pick would always be the GT, which is the bike Ducati should probably have built from the start
Specs:
Engine: 992cc, air-cooled, 4v, SOHC, desmo V-twin
Power: 92bhp @ 8000rpm
Torque: 67.2Nm @ 6000rpm
Seat height: 825mm
Weight: 181kg (dry)
