Ducati 916SPS
In the mid-Nineties, with Foggy conquering all on the World Superbike racetracks, there was only one bike more beautiful and desirable than the Ducati 916 — and that was the hotted-up SPS version of the Bologna brand’s V-twin masterpiece. Visually almost identical to the standard 916 that had been launched in 1994, the SPS — standing for Sport Production Special, latest in a line of homologation exotica dating back to the 888 — arrived two years later with even more speed, thunder and sex appeal.
This ’96-model SPS retained the eight-valve desmo unit’s standard 916cc capacity but produced an extra 20bhp, to 134bhp, thanks to mods including raised compression and Termignoni carbon cans, plus titanium conrods to help keep it together. Bigger Brembo discs and an Öhlins shock helped justify a price tag of over £20,000, almost twice that of the standard model. The following year’s SPS added a bigger, 996cc engine and extra carbon-fibre bits to the already mouthwatering package.
The Ducati’s outrageous performance came with typical problems. This immaculate SPS, owned from new by Cambridgeshire farmer Jamie Rule, broke a cam-belt and also had its rectifier catch fire. Luckily Jamie needed a piss anyway, so stopped, unclipped a fairing panel and doused the flames just in time. Red and so hot you can’t keep your strides on; that’s the 916SPS.
