Ducati has just revealed the Superleggera V4 Centenario Tricolore. It’s built to celebrate 100 years of the brand, and yeah, it’s exactly as subtle as that sounds.
Only 100 units are being made, which already tells you this thing isn’t meant to be ridden so much as worshipped. Ducati says it makes 228 horsepower, which is an absurd number for something with mirrors and a license plate. That’s deep into “why is this even legal” territory. And because numbers alone aren’t enough, Ducati claims it’s built around a full carbon fiber chassis and body, the kind of stuff that usually lives on MotoGP bikes, not something you idle through traffic at 15 miles per hour.
Then it gets even more unhinged. Ducati says it’s running a carbon-ceramic braking system, which has never shown up on a road-legal Ducati before. That’s the same kind of hardware you’d expect on top-tier hypercars, not a two-wheeled missile. Pair that with suspension derived straight from the Ducati Lenovo Team program, and you start to realize this isn’t pretending to be a race bike. It basically is one.
Visually, Ducati didn’t go full sci-fi. Instead, it reached back into its own archive and pulled inspiration from the Ducati 750 F1 that ran Daytona back in the ‘80s. So you’ve got this insanely advanced, carbon-loaded, 228-horsepower monster dressed like a vintage racer. It’s nostalgia and excess rolled into one very expensive identity crisis, and somehow it works.
But here’s the thing. The bike is just the loudest part of a much bigger story.
Alongside it, Ducati rolled out something called the “Manuale del Made in Italy secondo Ducati.” Which is a very Italian way of saying the brand just wrote its own manifesto. It’s Ducati putting into words how it sees design, engineering, and production. Not just what it builds, but how and why it builds it. It’s part philosophy, part flex, and part reminder that Ducati does things differently from everyone else.
And then there’s the year-long celebration. Ducati is basically turning 2026 into one extended birthday party. The global #WeRideAsOne kicks things off, bringing owners together across different countries. Then everything builds toward World Ducati Week at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, which is where the brand really lets loose with track sessions, factory riders, and the Lenovo Race of Champions.
After that, Ducati says there’ll be museum updates, curated riding tours, and even media projects like podcasts and documentaries. It all wraps up at EICMA, because of course it does.
So yeah, this isn’t just a new bike launch. It’s Ducati reminding everyone that after 100 years, it still builds machines that feel completely unnecessary in the best possible way. The Superleggera V4 Centenario Tricolore isn’t trying to make sense. It’s trying to make a statement. And honestly, 228 horsepower wrapped in carbon fiber with MotoGP bits bolted on gets that message across pretty clearly.
Source: Ducati
