In its centenary year, Ducati has done something rather lovely. Instead of chasing lap times, horsepower wars, or the latest aerodynamic origami, the firm from Borgo Panigale has reached back into its own mythology and pulled out a motorcycle that feels as much like a memory as a machine.
Meet the Formula 73.
Produced in a strictly limited run of 873 numbered units, the Formula 73 is Ducati’s modern homage to the 750 Super Sport Desmo — a bike that occupies a sacred corner of motorcycling history.
That original Super Sport was itself born from racing glory, a road-going echo of the 750 Imola Desmo that carried Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari to victory in the 1972 200 Miglia di Imola. It was a triumph that helped define Ducati’s DNA: desmodromic valves, V-twins and a stubborn commitment to doing things its own way.
Seventies Soul, Reimagined
The 1970s were a decade of cultural upheaval, creative rebellion and questionable trousers. They also gave us some of the most charismatic motorcycles ever built. The 750 Super Sport Desmo wasn’t merely fast, it was dramatic. Long, lean, mechanical unapologetically Italian. The Formula 73 channels that spirit with uncanny precision.
The silver and aqua green livery is more than retro window dressing. Ducati’s Style Centre reportedly dug through the company archives to ensure the colours, finishes and details faithfully reflected the era. Even the vertical gold stripe across the tank has a story: it mirrors the unpainted strip used on the Imola racer so mechanics could quickly check fuel levels without adding gauges or weight.
Clip-on handlebars, bar-end mirrors, a short tapered fairing and a slender tail complete the café racer silhouette. The proportions are sleek, minimalist and refreshingly free of visual clutter. In an age where many bikes resemble Transformers caught in mid-sneeze, the Formula 73 feels almost elegant.
Air-Cooled Character
At the heart of the machine sits Ducati’s 803 cc Desmodue L-twin — air-cooled, desmodromic and delightfully old-school in concept. Output is quoted at 73 horsepower, which, in modern superbike terms, is modest. But that rather misses the point.
Air-cooled twins have a cadence, a pulse, a sense of mechanical intimacy that liquid-cooled units sometimes smooth away. Paired with a Termignoni-developed silencer and ride-by-wire throttle, Ducati promises a response that is quick yet progressive, with a soundtrack described as “full and evocative.” Marketing poetry, perhaps — but we suspect the reality won’t disappoint.
Tradition Meets Technology
While the aesthetics and engineering nod firmly to the past, Ducati hasn’t forgotten we live in the 21st century. Beneath the classic skin sits a thoroughly modern electronics suite: traction control, cornering ABS, Ducati Quick Shift and selectable riding modes.
It’s a sensible combination. You get the romance of a seventies-inspired café racer without the seventies’ braking distances or chassis flex.
The steel trellis frame — painted, rather strikingly, in aqua green — reinforces the visual link to Ducati’s past while delivering contemporary rigidity. Seventeen-inch spoked wheels wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres hint that this is no static museum piece.
Each Formula 73 carries its model name and serial number on the steering plate, arrives with a certificate of authenticity, and includes a curated set of historical imagery and sketches. All the hallmarks of a future classic.
Tech spec
- Engine 803cc, L-Twin, Desmodromic distribution, 2 valves per cylinder, air cooled, producing 73hp @8250rpm
- Electronic fuel injection, 50 mm throttle body with Ride-by-Wire system
- Gearbox 6 speed
- Clutch Hydraulically controlled slipper and self-servo wet multiplate clutch
- Frame Tubular steel Trellis frame
- Front suspension Upside down Kayaba 41 mm fork
- Rear suspension Kayaba rear shock, pre-load adjustable
- UK price £15,095
