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SOLD! : ’74 Ducati 750SS

750 Hand Grip

Buyer and seller have entered into an agreement and it looks like Mint has sold the 750 SS.

There is a first for everything and you are never too old to learn. Mintologists are basically car people but we’ve been smitten by 2 motorcycles that have managed to crawl under our skin. We announce to the world that we are not experts in the land of the 2 wheeler therefore we invite corrective comments delivered in the proper tone. But we are fast learners and always ask the advice of people who are well-known in their world. With that said, Mint is proud to announce the exclusive representation of a ’74 Ducati 750 SS Green Frame or Super Sport. As the editors at Italy’s Motociclismo wrote, “To say that the SuperSport 750 was one of the most beautiful sportbikes ever made is no exaggeration; it may be considered among the most significant motorcycles of all time.” This was a street bike that went racing. The then new Ducati 750 was raced by Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari at the inaugural Imola 200 road race. Smart was not overly impressed by the roadster and didn’t even want to ride it. That changed when he arrived back in the pits to much fanfare because he had just smashed Imola’s lap record! Smart and fellow 750SS rider Bruno Spaggiari went on to a smashing 1-2 finish. 750 Rubber BitsDucati made about 200 bikes for sale to people well connected in the racing world. It was their “Halo Bike”. Most were thrashed on the track and according to Derek “Nobby” Clark, probably 50 of them are gone forever, parted out after a crash or some other unknown fate. Our exclusive 750 SS – 075059 – has been out of the public eye for decades and does NOT appear in Ian Faloon’s definitive book on the 750 SS. Originally purchased by a California man, it remained in his family until the current owner purchased it in 2000. Ducati 750SSThe 750 came East to Connecticut and was never registered. It was properly stored in a climate controlled environment for 14 years. The bike was unearthed and brought to Auto Turismo Sport where it was revived by master Ferrari technician and Harley owner, Sean Sheridan. The bike is in original, unrestored condition. Sheridan and Nobby Clark are friends so Nobby came over for an informal review of the bike’s condition. Nobby thought it best to preserve the original condition of the bike and get it running properly. Therefore the 750 SS is being offered in running condition. We are purists and would not touch the bike although some might say it is a bit too far gone ( a little pitting here, a little paint wear there) to preserve. We disagree. If it were a racing Ferrari, we would prefer to leave the scars of use in place as a testament to the historic importance. If you want a new bike, we suggest you go buy one and leave this one be. But that is up to the seller and anyone who steps forward with the first $130,000 bank transfer. Call Michael in Connecticut at (203) 417-6856 for an appointment for a personal inspection. Click here for a Flickr Gallery of detailed photos.    Click here for a very brief video of the 750 SS’s first cough after a 14-year slumber.

Derek “Nobby” Clark visited the 750 SS as a favor to a friend and in no way proclaims that the visit was official and takes no responsibility for the authenticity or proper running condition of  Frame 075059.

8 Responses to SOLD! : ’74 Ducati 750SS

  1. Nigel Spaxman says:

    They are beautiful machines. I think now these are collector mahines that are rarely if ever ridden. As the owner of a 75 900ss I want to point out there were only 260 of those made. They share most of the features the 750ss had but really I think the 900 engine is nicer. They are getting pretty expensive now to. There were a lot more of the later 900ss made and they were improved but they haven’t gone up in price as much. The Mike Hailwood replicas are still pretty reasonable. For 20 years I owned a Darmah. That was a fantastic machine. I put about 40,000 miles on it and never had any problems other than a bad regulator. It always got me home. They are still cheap really. The Darmah has all the power you will ever need for road riding. The Darmah engine actually runs better on the road than the SS.

  2. Somer says:

    Mike, Several other statements confirm the 401 number. The first square case was about~ #407 and on. Given the number verified exceeded 200, think the 400 number is quite believable.

    • Mike Cecchini says:

      I hear you Somer…….quite a believable number. Just wondering how there’s 450 today. ;))

      Hey Jeff….. try “Snip-it” or “Snag-it” programs. Anything you see on the screen can be captured and saved.

      • mint2me says:

        Jeff could download anything he wants from the Flickr page of photos. He just didn’t look deep enough. Good thing we didn’t need his “help” selling the 750SS.

  3. Mike Cecchini says:

    I wouldn’t bet the bank on just subtracting serial numbers to obtain how many Greenies were made. Since the beginning Ducati has been incredibly consistent with one thing….. inconsistency, especially with specials like this.

  4. SM Ross says:

    It’s now known that 401 so-called “Green Frames” were produced in one run, circa January, 1974. The generally accepted production figure of 200 was confirmed by Fabio Taglioni, the father of the 750SS in an interview given several years ago. However, Ian Falloon the noted Ducati historian was given access to all of Ducati’s files and he found the long-lost 750 Super Sport production cards which proved that 401 motorcycles had, indeed, been produced.

    Ducati wanted the SS to be ridden by dealer principals to promote the brand but many Super Sports sat unsold in dealer showrooms for well over a year. Consumers were probably scared off by the price which was close to $3,000 when a Kawasaki Z1 900 cost almost a third less. Too, maintenance costs were prohibitive compared to most other machines. If a dealer did a valve adjustment “by the book” the cylinder heads were removed and that, combined with setting the points could take the better part of a work day.

    Of course all that is now forgotten as the 750SS has become one of the most collectible production Ducatis ever produced. As a 35-year owner of one of these fabulous machines I can assure you that whomever gets this bike and has it properly sorted will enjoy one of the most exciting riding experiences possible. It’s a shame (but understandable) that most Super Sports are no longer ridden due to their value.

    One note to the seller; under no circumstances should you allow gasoline with ethanol to come in contact with the stock fuel tank. Use only race gas from a sealed can, not from a pump as the ethanol WILL destroy the gas tank. Don’t ask me how I know all the above.

  5. Jeffrey Hamilton says:

    Let me be quite honest with you…if I’m not allowed to save the photos for my personal (non-profit) files, then I’m not interested in either discussing, nor advancing your vehicle/sale….

    cheers…JeffH

  6. Somer says:

    A little over 400 were built. This is ascertained by taking the begining serial number and the final numbers where they switched over to square case manufacturing.

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