Ducati is 100 years old in 2026 – and the Italian firm is planning to celebrate. Set up in 1926 by Antonio Cavalieri Ducati and his three sons, Adriano, Marcello, and Bruno the original company didn’t actually make motorbikes at first.
Rather, the Società Scientifica Radiobrevetti Ducati (SSR Ducati) firm was set up to produce radio parts in Bologna – vacuum tubes, coils, capacitors, antennae and other electronic parts. That business quickly expanded in the run-up to World War II, before moving to the Borgo Panigale district of Bologna, where the firm remains to this day.
After the war, its factories had been destroyed by Allied bombing, and like many other companies in Germany and Japan, it had to find a new line of work. And, as in other war-ravaged economies, there was a need for basic, cheap transport, and Ducati reinvented itself in 1950 as the maker of lightweight engines to convert bicycles into mopeds, with some success.
By the 1960s, the firm was well on its way to becoming a proper motorbike brand.
Fast-forward 76 years from those first motorbikes to today, and we have the first of the 100-year celebrations from Ducati, in the form of a one-off heritage model. Dubbed the Formula 73, it’s a special limited edition homage to the 750 Super Sport Desmo launched in 1973, which was the first Ducati road bike to use its now-trademark desmodromic valve gear.
It looks like a bit of a retro roadster or café racer now, but that 750 Super Sport was a full race replica in its day, celebrating the 750 Imola Desmo that Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari rode to win the 1972 200 Miglia di Imola endurance race. That was the first European competition for ‘production-based’ bikes, and the series that arguably led to the launch of WSBK in the late 1980s.
Its historic victory at Imola and the subsequent birth of the 750 Super Sport Desmo gave Ducati a firm foundation in proddie racing: it’s now notched up 400 victories, sixteen rider titles and twenty-one manufacturer titles, and is also a major power in MotoGP prototype race series.
Anyway – that’s enough Ducati history, what about the bike? Well, it’s based on the closest modern engine to the original 750SS, cunningly enough, both in layout and performance. That means the current 803cc Scrambler Desmodue motor: air-cooled, two-valve desmodromic OHC layout, albeit with modern fuel injection and electronics instead of carbs and points.
The 72bhp engine comes in a variant of the Scrambler chassis, with steel tube trellis frame, cast aluminium rear swingarm, Kayaba suspension and Brembo brakes. Wheels are wire-spoked parts with aluminium rims, and the front brake uses a massive 330mm single disc – smart.
It’s the design and details that make this bike though. It comes with a smart Termignoni exhaust system and a neat half-fairing with round LED headlamp, plus single seat cover.
The paintwork uses the same green and silver colourways as on the original Paul Smart race replica 750SS, complete with green-painted frame tubes. A vertical gold stripe on the tank echoes the original unpainted strip on the 750 Imola Desmo’s fibreglass tank, which allowed the endurance race team to visually check fuel level quickly and simply.
The clip-on handlebars with bar-end mirrors, a short, tapered fairing and sleek single-seat tail unit underline the café racer feel, and there are loads of sweet RIzoma billet aluminium components, such as the brake and clutch levers and master cylinders, the footpegs and the fuel cap.
Like all Ducati limited edition models, the Formula 73 features the model name and serial number on the steering yoke and it comes with a certificate of authenticity, as well as a collection of period images and sketches created by the Ducati Style Centre, presented in a special box.
Just 873 are being built, so get yourself along to a dealer fast if you fancy one. Its available to order now, priced at £15,095. More info: www.ducati.com.
2026 Ducati Formula 73 Tech Highlights
Livery
750 Super Sport Desmo replica
Main equipment
Desmodue engine, 803 cm3
Maximum power: 73 CV @ 8,250 RPM
Maximum torque: 65.2 Nm @ 7,000 RPM
Type-approved Termignoni silencer
Wet weight no fuel: 183 Kg
Steel trellis frame
Upside-down 41 mm KYB front fork
KYB shock, preload adjustable
Front brake: four-piston Brembo radial caliper and 330 mm disc
Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres, 120/70 and 180/55
Electronic package with Inertial Measurement Unit: cornering ABS; Ducati Traction Control (DTC); Power Modes; Ducati Quick Shift (DQS)
Full TFT 4.3” dashboard
Riding Modes (Sport, Road)
Full-LED lights with DRL
Ducati Multimedia System (DMS) ready, Turn-by-turn navigation
2026 Ducati Formula 73 tech specs
Engine: V-Twin, OHC Desmodromic valves, two valves per cylinder, air cooled, 803cc
Bore and stroke: 88mm x 66mm (3.5in x 2.6in)
Compression ratio: 11.0:1
Peak power: 73 hp (53.7 kW)@8,250rpm
Peak torque: 65.2 Nm (6.6 kg/m, 48ft-lb)@7,000rpm
Fuelling: electronic fuel injection, 50 mm throttle body with ride-by-wire system
Exhaust: stainless steel muffler with catalytic converter, lambda probes, aluminium tail pipes
Transmission: six-speed
Final drive: chain, front sprocket 15, rear sprocket 46
Clutch: hydraulically controlled slipper and self-servo wet multiplate clutch
Main frame: tubular steel trellis frame
Front suspension: USD Kayaba 41 mm fork
Rear suspension: Kayaba rear shock, pre-load adjustable
Wheels: wire-spoked aluminium wheel 3.00 x 17 front, 5.50 x 17 rear.
Tyres: Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV – 120/70 R17 front, 180/55 R17 rear
Brakes: 330mm front disc, radial 4-piston caliper, 245mm rear disc, single-piston floating caliper with Bosch Cornering ABS
Dash: 4.3′′ TFT colour display
Kerb weight: 183 kg (403 lb)
Seat height: 808 mm (31.8 in)
Wheelbase: 1,434 mm (56.5 in)
Rake: 22°
Trail: 92 mm (3.6 in)
Fuel capacity 14.5 l (3.8 US gal)
Electronics: riding modes, power modes, Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Bosch Cornering ABS, Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) up/down, TFT colour display, full LED lighting system, Daytime Running Light (DRL), self-cancelling turn indicators, USB port, Anti-theft alarm, Ducati Multimedia System (DMS), heated grips, turn-by-turn navigation system