More Ducati 916 price increases just keep on coming. This time a Monoposto 1997 Ducati 916, not an SP but the standard Biposto engined Monoposto, sold for US$31,352 at the end of March 2023. The bike showed many signs of the corrosion we often have to deal with, so bringing it up to spec would be expensive. Iconic Auctions sold it and you can see the description and result at Iconic Auctions here. This wasn’t a one-off, because a similar 1997 Ducati 916 Monoposto made US$31,245 shortly afterwards which you can see at Iconic Auctions here. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line. Once logged in, go to market analysis and scroll to the end of the page where you can find a much more detailed and longer version of this article.
Price rises were predicted
These price rises were predicted by us in this article about investing in a Ducati 916 SP in 2021. With classic motorcycle prices running at between less than 1% and 4% of the equivalent classic car. It’s inevitable that classic car owners are moving in on the great value they offer, as we predicted this article about more evidence of classic car owners moving into classic motorcycles back in early 2019. As time passes classic motorcycle prices will become unrecognisable as investors move into stable tangible assets such as classic cars, art, wrist watches and classic motorcycles. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line. Once logged in, go to market analysis and scroll to the end of the page where you can find a much more detailed and longer version of this article.
Ducati 916 SP price records
Ducati 916 SP price records were set last year with a 1995 Ducati 916 SP achieving £42,750 with Silverstone Auctions. What is clear is that there will be many more world records set for the 916 SP and 996 SPS series, as they are still very undervalued. Investors are now waking up to the way the price structure works for these iconic Ducatis. Buyers are flocking from all over the world to get in on 916 ownership, this fierce demand is not just isolated to the UK. These two 916 Monopostos have clearly set new records for non SP 916 Ducatis which demonstrates demand but probably not a price trend for 916 Bipostos. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line. Once logged in, go to market analysis and scroll to the end of the page where you can find a much more detailed and longer version of this article.
Ducati 996 SPS is a bargain
The Ducati 996 SPS is a bargain with 916 SP prices so high. Although not a cheap machine to acquire in investment grade condition, prices are around 20% less than the 916 SP series which offers buyers great value. They still have that iconic, timeless classic look and are much stronger motors. Apart from producing a bit more power, they are less fragile as well. Over time the 996 SPS will eventually catch up with the 916 SP series, but there will always be models which are more valuable than others. The 996 SPS series already has the Factory Replica, the Foggy Replica for the European market, which commands a higher premium than the Foggy Replica. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line. Once logged in, go to market analysis and scroll to the end of the page where you can find a much more detailed and longer version of this article.
Investment grade Ducati 916 SP
An investment grade Ducati 916 SP or 996 SPS is becoming increasingly difficult to source now. Once they were five to ten years old they held very little value or desirability and during this period of the motorcycle’s life they were often used as cheap track bikes. When new there was an enormous demand for the road bikes to be stripped and raced by race teams, as they could not get their hands on the factory machines. Many were crashed when new by over zealous owners who really did believe they were Carl Fogarty. These were very rare motorcycles to begin with when they were new and their attraction to race teams and wanna be racers made investment grade examples even rarer over the decades. Now these bikes are getting on for twenty to thirty years old and Ducati’s finish is really starting to fail, as you and see in this article we wrote back in 2020 about how all Ducati 916 need work due to age. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line. Once logged in, go to market analysis and scroll to the end of the page where you can find a much more detailed and longer version of this article.
Ducati 916 SP and Ducati 996 SPS series
The Ducati 916 SP and Ducati 996 SPS series varies quite a lot where values are concerned and, as prices are increasing so quickly, values are a moving target. The most prized Ducati 916 SP investment is the 1994 series one, as we wrote about in this article about the pinnacle of Ducati 916 SP investment in 2022. The 1994 is the classic first year of production and the rarest of them all, colluding to make them the most desirable to collectors and therefore the most valuable. Although 310 were built in 1994, the majority of this production run went to race teams leaving very few for road riding enthusiasts. In 1995 they built 410 units which were still in demand by the racing fraternity, but more found their way into enthusiasts’ hands. These first two series from 1994 and 1995 had no number on the fork yoke and even the factory do not have proper records about them. If the machine was exported through the parallel market, no engine number was on the invoice and they were not identified as SPs on Ducati’s paperwork. Ducati will say that they think the frame is from a Strada and they have no record of the engine, but this does not mean that the machine is not genuine. There are people who have far better records of engine and chassis numbers and it is worth checking with them. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line. Once logged in, go to market analysis and scroll to the end of the page where you can find a much more detailed and longer version of this article.
Ducati 996R and 998 series
After 2000 the 998cc 996R and 998 series carried on for another two years. These motors had the new Testastretta cylinder heads with bigger valves and a much bigger sump. These motors added over 10% more power and you can really feel the difference. They have a much more brutal power delivery and keeping the front wheel on the ground is really quite challenging. This was the final swan song for the gorgeous Tambourini design era and is a very collectible and expensive series. They do not command the values of the first two series of the 916 SP but they are rare, and challenging to find, suffering from similar problems as the first two series of the Ducati 916 SP. The entire Tambourini Ducati 916 SP through to the Ducati 996R and 998 series really do offer a great variety for owners to enjoy. To read the full version of this article, click the link here and subscribe free to The Inside Line. Once logged in, go to market analysis and scroll to the end of the page where you can find a much more detailed and longer version of this article.
Now is the time to buy a Ducati 916 SP
Now is the time to buy a Ducati 916 SP through to the 998, as prices are only going one way and that is stratospheric as these have every ingredient a classic motorcycle requires. They had legendary racing success with a true David and Goliath dynamic from what was just a bijou Italian motorcycle factory at the time. They possess an iconic design which is timeless and ingenious and they were even exhibited as art at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. They are extremely rare and investment grade examples are seriously tough to find in amongst the pretty looking examples that are highly deceptive, as you can see in this article we wrote about examining two Ducati 916 SPS Foggy Replicas in 2022. More Ducati 916 price rises are clearly on the horizon and these machines offer investors plenty of future headroom as more classic car owners move on in these iconic Italian classic motorcycles. If you are excited about owning an investment grade Ducati 916 SP through to the 998 series, call The Motorcycle Broker.
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