Dieter Hartmann-Wirthwein, who we saw some time back with his 4 cylinder 125cc Monkey Bike, was working on a Ducati V8 project. It looks like the engine project is finished and he’s even got a patent for the connecting rod arrangement using the original 900SS crankshaft. Think about that, this is a V8 engine using the original 2 cylinder 900SS crankshaft! From the drawing, you can see the outer pistons connected by a pivoting rod, but what is hard to see is how the connecting rod is connected to the inner pistons so as not to interfere with the pivot rod. It would be really helpful to see some other perspective drawings, but it looks ingenious. I’ll post more drawings or photos as I get them.

The cylinders have a 56mm bore and 44mm stroke for a displacement of 868cc. Using the original 900SS crank, the engine fits in the 900SS frame. This guy is good, excellent work!

Thanks, Hugo, for the heads up!

Link: Wirthwein Motoren

Be sure to see the Ducati V8 Update