No Joke: The Prancing Horse on Two Wheels…
Ferrari has built some of the most iconic machines in automotive history — V12 grand tourers, Le Mans legends, Formula One champions. But there’s one thing Ferrari has never done: build a motorcycle.
And yet…there is an official Ferrari motorcycle, and it’s no April Fool’s Day joke. It was called the Ferrari 900 — a one-off, hand-built machine from the 1990s that carries the official blessing from Maranello. It’s not a rebadged special or a simple tribute. The Ferrari 900 was actually authorized to wear the Ferrari name.
A Motorcycle Ferrari Didn’t Build, But Approved
The Ferrari 900 wasn’t created in Maranello. It was the work of British engineer David Kay, who set out to build the ultimate tribute to Enzo Ferrari — a motorcycle that embodied his philosophies of performance, craftsmanship, and beauty. Before beginning the project, Kay wrote to Ferrari asking for their approval…and against all odds, he received a response.
In 1990, Piero Ferrari — Enzo’s son — granted written permission for Kay to use the Ferrari name on a one-off motorcycle. That approval makes the Ferrari 900 unique in motorcycling history, as it’s the only motorcycle actually authorized to bear the Ferrari name.
Five Years, 3000 Hours, One Machine
David Kay is no stranger to Italian motorcycles. His family business, MV Meccanica Verghera, now run by his sons, specializes in classic MVs and other pre-1998 Italian motorcycles. They don’t just build and restore bikes but race them:
“As life-long owners of birds of prey, including Aquila verreauxii, black eagles, it seemed appropriate to name their team Black Eagle Racing. Since adopting the name and the new logo, the team has gone from strength to strength, winning several podium places at the Isle of Man Classic TT races, and fulfilling David’s life-long dream to win with a motorcycle built in their own workshop.”
So Kay clearly had the expertise to build such a machine, which Piero Ferrari must have clearly recognizeed. Kay spent roughly five years and more than 3000 hours building the bike. Almost nothing on the Ferrari 900 was off-the-shelf.
- Engine: scratch-built
- Frame: hand-fabricated
- Bodywork: custom aluminum
- Components: bespoke or heavily modified
The sculpted megaphones of the hand-spun 4:4 exhaust, designed to look as they sound, are one of the bike’s signature elements.
“The two double curvature megaphone exhausts are too beautiful to merely funnel exhaust gasses from engine to atmosphere.” -David Kay
This wasn’t a custom in the casual sense, but a ground-up engineering exercise for Kay, who brought all of his experience and expertise with classic Italian machines to the project.
Ferrari Thinking, Motorcycle Form
At the heart of the Ferrari 900 is a 900cc DOHC eight-valve inline-four with magnesium and alloy casings. It wasn’t borrowed from an existing production motorcycle. Instead it’s a completely bespoke unit, scratch-built specifically for the project.
- Power: ~105 hp @ 8800 rpm
- Transmission: 5-speed
- Top Speed: ~165 mph (265 km/h) estimated
And like a Ferrari car, the engine wasn’t just about output, but character. It was said to have a distinctive, high-pitched scream, with the reverse cone megaphones producing a sound that Kay likened to a “Messerschmitt chasing a Spitfire.”
Chassis, Materials, and Craftsmanship
If the engine was the soul of the bike, the chassis was its sculpture.
- Frame: Reynolds 531 tubular steel
- Bodywork: Hand-formed aluminum, designed by Terry Hall
- Wheels: 17-inch Astralite
- Brakes: Brembo (6-piston front, 4-piston rear)
- Suspension:
- Front: Forcelle Italia inverted forks
- Rear: Twin WPS shocks
The use of magnesium, alloy, and carbon fiber components helped keep weight remarkably low.
- Weight: ~172 kg (379 lb)
In terms of power-to-weight ratio, that’s certainly superbike territory, even in the mid-1990s. The 1995 GSX-R1100 made 150 hp but weighed nearly 115 lbs more (493 lbs dry), which means the bikes have a fairly similar power-to-weight ratio. Considering the Ferrari has a traditional steel frame, not the aluminum cradle of a modern superbike, that’s quite an achievement.
Designed Like a Ferrari
Like its four-wheeled counterparts, the Ferrari 900 wasn’t just about pure performance, but style. Designer Terry Hall shaped the bike to echo Ferrari’s endurance racers, particularly machines like the Testarossa Le Mans cars.
The result is a bike that truly resembles a Ferrari, with flowing bodywork, integrated fairing lines, a sculptural exhaust system, and Ferrari red paint with the iconic prancing horse badges. To us, the bike truly looks like a Ferrari rather than a Ducati or MV Agusta knockoff.
On paper, the Ferrari 900 was seriously fast: 105 horsepower, sub-400 lb weight, and a top speed estimated at ~165 mph. But this bike was never about mere lap times or race wins. It spent much of its life as a showpiece — a mechanical expression of what a Ferrari motorcycle could be.
What’s it Worth?
Despite its uniqueness, the Ferrari 900 has had an unusual life in the collector market. It initially failed to meet reserve at auction and later sold for around £85,500 (~$100k+).
For a one-of-one Ferrari-branded machine, that almost feels like a bargain. But it also reflects the bike’s strange position. It’s not a factory Ferrari, not a production motorcycle, and not a race winner. Instead, it seems to exist in its own category entirely, which makes it harder to quantify for collectors.
Still The Only (Official) Ferrari Motorcycle…
Ferrari has never built a production motorcycle. They’ve never entered MotoGP, nor have they ever licensed or allowed a bike like this again.
Much like Maxwell Hazan’s HF355 Ferrari V8 motorcycle, it’s a one-off engineering project. But the Ferrari 900 still stands alone as the only true “Ferrari motorcycle,” officially allowed to wear Ferrari branding.
In an industry full of replicas, tributes, and “inspired by” machines, the Ferrari 900 is something truly unique: the real thing, or at least as close as Ferrari ever let it get.
Ferrari 900: Key Specs
Builder: David Kay Engineering
Year: 1995
Type: One-off custom (Ferrari-authorized)
Engine: 900cc air-cooled DOHC inline-four
Power: ~105 hp
Transmission: 5-speed
Top Speed: ~165 mph
Frame: Reynolds 531 tubular steel
Suspension:
- Front: USD forks (Forcelle Italia)
- Rear: Twin WPS shocks
Brakes: Brembo discs (6-piston front)
Wheels: 17” Astralite
Weight: ~172 kg (379 lb)
Production: 1 of 1
What If? The Question Still Lingers…
The Ferrari 900 isn’t just a motorcycle — it’s a question in two-wheeled form. What if Ferrari had decided to build bikes? What if they chased MotoGP glory? Could they have redefined performance on two wheels the way they did on four?
Likely we’ll never know. But for one brief moment in the 1990s, thanks to one engineer, one letter, and one extraordinary feat of craftsmanship, an official Ferrari motorcycle does exist. And it’s just as cool as we’d hope.
Maxwell Hazan’s Ferrari HF355
For those interested in how a modern Ferrari motorcycle might take shape, Maxwell Hazan is reaching final assembly of his HF355 special, powered by the 375-hp V8 from a Ferrari 355. Hazan is one of the world’s very best builders — perhaps this build will give the Ferrari bods a few new ideas for a two-wheeled future…
Follow MV Meccanica Verghera
Web: www.mv-agusta.co.uk
Instagram: @kay_mvagusta
Facebook: Black Eagle Racing Team
I can’t be the only one who sees an MV Agusta engine and a Suzuki GSXR fairing…
I saw Laverda but older MV Augusta could be more correct !
readers need to keep in mind the time frame when this was built:
2-3 years prior to when Yamaha changed bike construction forever with the ’97 Milan show unveiling of the 1998 R1.
Sub-400 lbs for an air-cooled engine you built yourself? 👏🏼👏🏾
@Di Lorenzo
Ja. Das ist mir ebenso aufgefallen
MV Agusta- Motor GSX 1100 Front
Ebenso sehr ähnliche Auspuff-Führung wie MV