Over the past decade, the price of vintage and classic motorcycles has skyrocketed. So it’s no surprise that whenever a group of bike-loving mates gets together, the conversation inevitably turns to tales of “what if”. What if they’d held onto that old classic they let go for a few hundred bucks, the one now worth tens of thousands. But who could’ve predicted such wild price hikes? As it turns out, one very wise Australian not only picked the perfect bike to buy back in the ’70s, but also had the discipline to never ride it, preserving it in factory-fresh condition to this very day. This rare gem recently surfaced thanks to Moto Borgotaro: a stunning 1976 Ducati 900SS, a genuine Non Omologato example, with just 4 kilometres on the odometer.
These days, it all seems so obvious. Ducati is at the top of the world, and every limited-edition model they release sells out immediately, with collectors falling over themselves for a piece of Italian exotica. But back in the ’70s, the company’s future was far from certain. While the 1972 win at Imola and the introduction of the Super Sport had things heading in the right direction, it still took a brave soul to bet that a Ducati motorcycle would one day become a sound long-term investment.
In that era, Ron Angel was one of a handful of official importers of Ducati motorcycles in Australia. He was also responsible for preparing factory race bikes for the Italian assault on Aussie racetracks. Having earned the trust of management back in Bologna, he was one of the first international dealers to get his hands on new models, which explains how this early-production Ducati ended up in the front window of his Richmond store. Straight off the production line, this Non Omologato model hadn’t yet been homologated and came equipped with a range of parts that would later be changed for the remainder of the production run.
But none of that put off the first owner, who traded in his current ride, a Triumph of some sort, to secure the brand-new Ducati 900SS. The sticker price was A$3,595, which was serious money at the time, about double the cost of a well-equipped Ford family sedan. The final bill was a little less eye-watering thanks to the A$1,400 trade-in, and the new owner walked away with a stunning steed finished in silver with blue accents. The temptation to take it for a spin around Melbourne must have been immense; there were no other examples on the road, but the owner resisted. The 4 kilometres on the odometer (pre-delivery mileage) remain to this day.
That’s right, the bike has never been started since the owner took delivery. Even Ron Angel, the dealer, advised the owner in writing (a letter that comes with the bike) to run it in. As a Non Omologato example, it was delivered with 32mm carburettors, Lafranconi exhausts, and unique engine and frame stampings, all of which were documented on the Australian compliance papers. The instructions were clear: register and ride the bike, and then swap in the larger 40mm Dell’Orto PHM carburettors, matching intake manifolds, and a chrome dual-exhaust system with Conti megaphone mufflers once the next shipment arrived.
Now, some might wonder: couldn’t a good classic bike mechanic just restore a used example to the same condition? Perhaps, but the seller has gone to the trouble of enlisting Ian Falloon, the world’s pre-eminent Ducati historian, to provide a letter of verification. “The Ducati 900 Super Sport under examination here is one of the earliest examples produced of the rare 1976 Non Omologato 900SS. Both the engine and frame numbers indicate this example was probably built in September 1976. The original mileage of only 4 kilometres means this is new and unused, and it makes this motorcycle unique.”
And when Ian says something is “unique”, you know it’s rarer than rocking horse shit. Even more impressively, Ian revealed that the original owner knew exactly what he was doing. In 1979, he purchased two black-and-gold 900SSs, followed later that year by a 900 MHR. All five bikes were kept in untouched condition inside his home until 2013, when the collection was sold. Since then, ownership has been meticulously tracked, and this immaculate lady from Bologna comes complete with its original toolkit, owner’s manual, archival poster, letter of original sale, and remains in remarkable “as-new” condition.
Unsurprisingly, the man with the Midas touch, Peter Boggia of Moto Borgotaro, is offering the Ducati for sale via the auction site Bring a Trailer. So, for us mere mortals, the ones who’d need a winning lottery ticket to even consider bidding, we can still tune in during the final week of the auction and witness first-hand just how much someone will pay for a picture-perfect 1976 Ducati 900SS. And if you think you’re sitting on a future classic, maybe this will be all the convincing you need to hang onto it, just for a little longer.
