Lamborghini purchased Ducati in 2012, but the two companies waited until 2020 to release a jointly-developed motorcycle. It’s a limited-edition variant of the 1260 Diavel inspired by the sold-out Siàn FKP 37.
Stylists from the Centro Stile Ducati and the Centro Stile Lamborghini — studios located within a stone’s throw of each other — worked together to transfer some of the Siàn’s defining styling cues onto the 1260 Diavel. Fins, vents, and sharp lines characterize the Lamborghini, so the Ducati received redesigned air intakes on either side of the fuel tank and reshaped radiator covers. The add-ons are made with carbon fiber, like the Siàn’s body.
Color forges the strongest visual links between the 1260 Diavel and the Siàn. It rides on forged, gold-painted wheels that echo the design of the car’s rims, and it’s painted in the same shade of green as the Siàn that was displayed at the 2019 edition of the Frankfurt Auto Show. Lamborghini pledged to make every example unique, so other colors are on the palette, but Verde Gea is the launch color that many enthusiasts associate with the car.
As wild as a V12-powered motorcycle would be, Ducati wisely kept the regular Diavel’s 1.3-liter two-cylinder engine. It produces 157 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 95 pound-feet of torque at 7,500 rpm, which are hugely impressive figures for a bike that weighs about 485 pounds. It’s not as daunting to ride as it might sound thanks in part to electronic aids like Ducati Traction Control Evo, Cornering ABS Evo, and Ducati Wheelie Control Evo that are powered by a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) platform provided by Bosch.
A total of 630 units of the Ducati 1260 Diavel Lamborghini will be available globally. Pricing starts at $31,995, so it’s about $11,000 more expensive than the base model, and deliveries will begin in January 2021. Enthusiasts who want the full collection of Siàn-inspired products can also order a 4,000-horsepower yacht and a 1/8-scale Lego kit.
What’s a Siàn?
Offered as a coupe and as a Roadster, and sold-out almost immediately, the Siàn stands out as Lamborghini’s first series-produced hybrid, and as the most powerful street-legal car the firm has ever released. Its powertrain consists of a mid-mounted, naturally-aspirated V12 engine and an electric motor integrated into the transmission. It draws electricity from a supercapacitor to inject 34 horses into the driveline, bringing the setup’s total output to 819 horsepower. Lamborghini quotes a 2.9-second sprint from zero to 62 mph, and a 217-mph top speed.
Production is limited to 63 examples of the coupe and 19 examples of the Roadster, numbers chosen because Lamborghini’s car-building arm was founded in 1963. Pricing allegedly starts at $2 million before options.