Ducati Turns 100 and Celebrates With the Limited Edition Formula 73
Ducati Turns 100 and Celebrates With the Limited Edition Formula 73 | Lid Life
Ducati Turns 100 This Year, and They're Not Being Shy About It
If your mate turned 100, you'd probably throw them a decent party. If you're Ducati, you celebrate by building a stunning limited-edition café racer, planning a massive global festival in Italy, and generally reminding everyone why you've been one of the most exciting names in motorcycling for a century. Understated it is not. But then, that's Ducati for you.
Founded in Bologna on the 4th of July, 1926, originally as a radio components business (which is a fun fact to drop at the next café stop), Ducati has evolved into one of the most iconic motorcycle manufacturers on the planet. And 2026 marks 100 years of that journey.
The Formula 73: A Proper Birthday Present
To mark the milestone, Ducati has released the Formula 73, a limited-edition retro twin that pays direct tribute to the 750 Super Sport Desmo, the bike that started a revolution back in 1973. It was the first Ducati road bike to use the brand's famous Desmodromic valve timing, a system that had previously only been seen on their racing machines. It was, in short, a very big deal.
The Formula 73 captures that spirit beautifully. It's powered by an 803cc Desmodue V-twin producing 73bhp, which feels fitting, and it gets a Termignoni exhaust that promises to make all the right noises. The frame is a classic steel trellis finished in aqua green, the silhouette is slim and café-racer clean, and the whole thing looks like something you'd want to stare at in your garage for a good ten minutes before even thinking about starting it.
Just 873 units are being built, each one individually numbered. UK pricing is £15,095. It's not cheap, but then genuinely special things rarely are.
A Year of Celebrations
The Formula 73 is just one part of a much bigger birthday. The centenary celebrations are set to run throughout 2026, with the big finale being World Ducati Week at the Misano World Circuit in Italy from the 3rd to 5th of July. It's an event that draws thousands of Ducatisti from all over the world, three days of riding, community, and plenty of red bikes making glorious noise. If you've never been, it's the kind of event that goes firmly on the bucket list.
UK riders aren't missing out either. Ducati UK has confirmed a one-of-a-kind trackday event on the 5th and 7th of May, and the brand is promising a full programme of new model reveals throughout the year to mark the centenary. We've already seen the new 890cc Monster V2, the updated Multistrada V4, and the breathtaking Panigale V4 R land this year, with more expected to follow.
On the MotoGP grid, Ducati's centenary colours are hard to miss too. The Desmosedici GP bikes raced by Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia this season wear a stunning matte Rosso Centenario finish, inspired by the very first complete Ducati motorcycle from 1949. Beautiful, and no doubt fast.
A Century Worth Celebrating
Whether you're a lifelong Ducatista or just someone who appreciates genuinely beautiful engineering, this is a brilliant year to follow the Ducati story. The brand has its fair share of passionate fans in the Lid Life community, and it's hard not to feel the excitement when a manufacturer hits a milestone like this and responds with real substance rather than just a badge and a press release.
Happy birthday, Ducati. A hundred years in, and still making riders weak at the knees. Not bad for a company that started out making radio parts.
Got a Ducati you're looking to move on, or hunting for your first red bike? Don't forget you can list and browse bikes for free on Lid Life.
