Hi guys, strange question but i need educated. I know in some previous Ducati models (not sure which ones though) the SP versions are usually quite collectable, which 'SP' is the one to have though? Is it the SP, SP2, SP3, SP4, SP5 etc?
Thank you, any particular reason why? Asking the question as i'm about to buy a V4 SP my dealer has as a cancelled order & i'm not sure if i should hang on as there are other SP's coming out too, 1 each year apparently with a V4 SP2 being announced on 25/11
V4 vs 888 are very different. I am sure they do more SP models of the later bikes, compared to what they did back in the ‘90s. SP3 SPS is by far the rarest, but you will be lucky to find one for sale (16 was a global number) and I can only guess that they will be close to Corse 888 bikes (£30K to £40K would be my guess).
Obviously the 1098r ……… which amazingly I have for sale That aside I still think the early Ducati SP’s which seemed to be more genuine over the ones rolled out nowadays.
Thank you for helping me out with your answers. Yes the V4 & older bikes are totally different, but i think, from doing some limited research, there were either 48 or 80 made it to the UK. The reason i'm asking is if the trend follows do i get the 1st run or wait for the last??
The collectability won't be a major issue for perhaps twenty years, -are you planning to keep it that long?
I have had my SP3 from new, so about 25 years. It is only now that it's value seems to be starting to creep up... but I doubt it will be worth what it cost new. Hoping the boy appreciates it or at least get's some benefit from it in the future though...
Trust me he won't appreciate the gesture, it's time for a sale,.......out of interest what was the purchase price back in day for research purposes only..
I think, with the Datatool Alarm (piece of crap!), it was about £17,500, but I will need to look at the bill of sale to be sure. It was from Bob Hills in Hertfordshire so he may well have added a bigger margin...!
So basically after 25 years you just about get your start money returned, which's nice and rewarding.
I can’t help thinking you are getting hung up on letters/designation rather than the intended purpose of each model. An SP back in the day was the homologation special...the bike Ducati used to get their intended updates over the line in WSBK. (Think 916SPA =955cc) That role has been filled by the R models since, what, 2001? Ask yourself, how do you think about an 1198SP vs an 1198R? The SP is a great bike with some really nice features...but it isn’t in the same league as an R. So it is with the SP these days, great bike maybe even a better road bike than the R, but the R is the halo bike. Throw in contemporary bikes like the Superleggera, the way Ducati has not got a WSBK title over the line with the Pani, and the sheer numbers produced vs being a tiny niche producer with a revolutionary bike as the early 4V’s were and I wouldn’t be including future collectability as part of my “investment” decision. I still recall an 851 Tricolor booming past as I rattled along on my RZ350, about 1990. It was impossibly exotic, a UFO amongst the UJM’s: we’d never seen or heard anything like it. As cool as a V4 SP is it doesn’t have quite the same effect. Bottom line? Just enjoy the thing, that’s the real return on your investment.
At some point interest rates will rise, and unless a bike is very special/rare, investors will look to park their money somewhere else. Not a bad thing IMO, as asking prices for some ordinary bikes with not much more than paint bling, can be silly.
Yes, you're probably correct, SP now isn't the SP of old but there still were only 84 of the V4SP brought into the UK, no idea how many were produced worldwide though. I totally take your point on the 1198SP vs 1198R but the current R's engine just isn't as flexible as the 1103cc Base/S/SP & the older bikes engines' were the same size in the range, therefore, the R is no go for me unless building a high maintenance track bike. Enjoyment is paramount as you say, but I'm asking myself if I'll get double the enjoyment out of an SP over my base (with some money spent on it)?, If current SP's are just seen as poser bikes I'm not quite sure It's the bike for me.
When I was looking for a 1198, sellers were expecting around 50% more for a SP over an S. It seemed to me all the SP had was an alloy tank, and maybe a better Ohlins shock. Didn't add up to an extra £5k to me.
