Ducati Superleggera V4 Is The Most Powerful And Most Expensive Ducati Ever

The new Ducatti Superlegerra V4 is a superbike like no other. It's the most powerful and most expensive Ducati ever made. With base prices starting at $100,000 the Superleggera V4 costs more than a new Chevy C8 Corvette and Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifolgio. Equipped with a 998cc V4 engine producing a maximum of 224 horsepower, it's also the most powerful Ducati to leave the factory. Fitted with an optional Akrapovic full racing exhaust, you have 234 horsepower at your disposal.

But why is it so expensive? Ducati's newest Superleggera V4 is the first production motorbike to feature an all-carbon-fiber construction. This includes the wheels, swingarm, frame, and subframe. In fact, all of the bike's load-bearing structures are constructed from premium carbon-fiber, including the bi-plane wings that add 50-percent more downforce than the Panigale V4.

"Every product we craft is a declaration of our lust for perfection, but none is comparable to Superleggera," said Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati. "In this project, we modeled the most advanced carbon fiber into futuristic aerodynamic-driven shapes. Here we realized our dreams as engineers, manufacturers, and passionate riders."

And since carbon-fiber weighs less than aluminum and steel, the Superleggera is among the lightest superbikes Ducati has ever created. With a dry weight of only 350 lbs. (159 kg) the newest Superleggera can take full advantage of its mightily powerful V4 motor. Although Ducati has yet to release the official numbers as of this writing, we reckon it'll have the highest power-to-weight ratio of any street-legal motorcycle.

The Superleggera's high-revving Desmosedici Stradale R 998cc V4 engine is approximately 6 pounds (2.8 kg) lighter than the engine in Ducati's Panigale V4 S. All the bolts are crafted from titanium while 42-percent of major components were further optimized for weight reduction.

"Starting work on the Superleggera V4 was really exciting," said Enrico Poluzzi, Ducati Engine Design Manager. "My team was blessed with the opportunity of designing without any pressure in terms of costs or experimental levels and to have access to materials, processes, and technologies that we normally use only in competitions."

The engine is connected to a six-speed Ducati Quick Shift gearbox governed by user-customizable riding modes and power modes. The bike is also fitted with fully adjustable Öhlins suspension in the front and rear along with lightweight springs and high-performance Brembo brakes.

Ducati is only building 500 units of the Superleggera V4. The first European deliveries are expected to arrive by June 2020. If you're searching for the most extreme superbike ever made, you know where to look.