In Bikes, Ducati, International Bike News / By Mohan K Ramanujam / 24 March 2016 4:21 pm / 2 comments

Ducati Thailand, together with the estate of Mike Hailwood, have issued a limited edition run of the 2016 Ducati Scrambler Icon, called the “Mike Hailwood edition”. The limited run of the Hailwood edition of Ducati’s Scrambler is to commemorate the 58th anniversary of Hailwood’s first encounter with Ducati.

The name of Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, better known by his sobriquet, “Mike the bike”, has been synonymous with motorcycle racing success since the sixties. Perhaps what he is best known for is his legendary comeback in 1978 to professional racing with Ducati 900SS after an 11-year break, taking an astounding victory at the deadliest race course in the world, the Isle of Man TT.

A meeting in October 2015 between Hailwood’s widow, Pauline, and Apichat Leenutaphong, owner of Ducati Thailand, arranged by 1972 Imola 200 winner Paul Smart, led to the idea of a special edition Ducati Scrambler. Scheduled for customer deliveries in September 2016, only 58 units of the 2016 Ducati Scrambler Mike Hailwood edition will be produced.

Based on a 2016 Ducati Scrambler Icon, the Hailwood edition will have the Scrambler’s 803 cc, air-cooled V-twin, with two-valves per cylinder producing 74 hp and 68 Nm of torque. Using the bodywork of the Scrambler Icon as a base, the Hailwood edition fits a different tail-piece and side-covers.

A two-into-one-into-two exhaust by Termignoni gives the Hailwood bike a retro-look, along with graphics inspired by Hailwood 1978 winning racebike, along with gold-painted wheels. Other touches include a special nose-fairing, custom handlebar, grips and mirrors from the Ducati Performance catalogue and a special edition plate on the seat cover.

Listed on the scramblerhailwood website at a price of 699,000 Thai baht (RM79,800), 26 out of the 58 units of the 2016 Ducati Scrambler Mike Hailwood have been sold at the time of writing. The 2015 Ducati Scrambler Icon retails in Malaysia for RM63,999 with GST and road tax, excluding insurance.