A landmark model, the Hailwood Replica owes its existence to Mike The Bike's legendary Isle of Man TT comeback victory in the 1978 Production Race riding an ex-works NCR bike entered and prepared by Manchester-based Ducati dealer, Sports Motor Cycles. Out of top-flight bike racing for seven years and away from the Island for eleven, Mike took on and beat the might of the Honda works team to win the Formula 1 TT at record speed. Ducati lost little time in capitalizing on this outstanding success, launching a road-going replica the following year, which kept Ducati afloat for several years.

Like the race-bike, the MHR was based on the production 900SS, but - inevitably - had much more in common with the latter than the former. Most obvious difference was the full fairing finished in red, green and white, complemented by a glassfiber tank and racing seat. Mechanical changes were confined to lighter wheels, usually by Campagnolo, and improved Brembo brakes, while the MHR's performance was pretty much the same as that of the 900SS: around 135mph flat-out.

The MHR offered here has been in the long term ownership of a California collector. Through the years it has been meticulously cared for, as can be seen in the substantial file of receipts. The bike is accompanied by workshop and owners manuals as well as the original keys, and is reported to be in fine running condition.