Mike Hailwood's 1960 Ducati Race Bike Is Headed To Auction

Back in the 1960s, motorcycle racing was a different world. It was a time before Rossi or Marquez, before literbikes and ground-effect aero, when top-tier racing could still happen at displacements smaller than Moto3’s 250ccs. A time when Mike Hailwood still raced, and did so atop this: A 125cc Ducati race bike dubbed the Barcone. Now, that very bike is up for sale.

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The Barcone came at the end of years of early Desmo development, and auction house Bonhams claims it was the company’s last single-cylinder race bike. Only four Barcones were ever built, and this one — the Barcone heading to auction at Bonhams — was campaigned by Hailwood.

For a race bike, the Barcone’s specs are quaint. Its single 125cc cylinder puts out a massive 22 horsepower and revs out to 12,500 RPM. Its livery, all silver and blue, has looped all the way back around to being retro. Tell me this isn’t the direct inspiration for Ducati’s Scrambler Café Racer.

Photo: Ducati

The aesthetics matter more than the engineering on the Barcone, since it’s unlikely the bike’s buyer will ever actually ride it. It’s a museum piece now – more important for its legacy than its performance. Plus, at an estimated sale price of $150,000, it’s likely a bit too expensive to take out to a track day.

The Barcone heads to auction next weekend, April 22. If you’ve got the cash and the eye for vintage racing memorabilia, you could do a lot worse than picking up Mike Hailwood’s old Ducati. If not, though, don’t fear — that Scrambler can get you pretty close on its own.