Ducati has intimated the end is nigh for its Panigale V2 sportsbike, announcing it will be launching a limited edition version in October, named the Panigale V2 Superquadro Final Edition.
Prior to the introduction of its first V4 MotoGP machine in 2003, and the subsequent Panigale V4 superbike 15 years later, Ducati was always associated with its V-twin ‘desmo’ engines. The Panigale V2 is the final model in a long line of sportsbikes which can trace their roots back to the 851 Superbike of the mid-1980s, with the Final Edition suggesting it is to be replaced in the not too distant future.
The 959cc Panigale V2 runs what Ducati dub the Superquadro engine, basically a high revving ‘over square’ design which was introduced on the 2011 1199 Panigale in an attempt to keep the traditional V-twin competitive with the near 200bhp 1000cc inline fours from the likes of BMW and Kawasaki. While Ducati has gone down the V4 route for its top line superbikes since 2018, the Panigale V2 has remained as the company’s mid-range sports bike. It’s even enjoyed some racetrack success of its own, being hugely successful in the new ‘next generation’ supersport class – where it won the British, American and world titles last year.
The 155bhp Panigale V2 provides the base for the Final Edition, but it gets a new colour scheme from famed designer Aldo Drudi and a host of trick bits to make it really stand out.
It runs Öhlins suspension and steering damper, along with Brembo Stylema brakes, and key among the modifications is the adoption of adjustable Rizoma footpegs and a single seat set up. The bike also comes with a kit to remove some of the road going paraphernalia for track use, while there’s also a GPS datalogger fitted.
A total of 555 examples will be made, each individually numbered and, at £23,500, it’ll cost over £6000 more than the standard Panigale V2 when it goes on sale in October.
It’s not clear what the Final Edition means for the future of Ducati’s middleweight sportster. We assume the V-twin configuration will remain for models like the Desert X and Multistrada V2, which run the less powerful 937cc motor, but we are interested to see if the championship-winning Panigale is replaced with an all-new design or if Ducati retreat from the supersport category at a time when competitors KTM are announcing their arrival with the upcoming 990 RC R.
