History Of Ducati Motorcycles

Ducati Motor Holding SpA is an Italian company that designs and manufactures motorcycles. Headquartered in Bologna, Italy, Ducati is owned by Audi through the Italian Lamborghini child. 

          In 1926, three brothers, Adriano, Marcello and Bruno Ducati, founded Societa Scientifica Radio BREVETTI Ducati in Bologna to produce vacuum tubes, condensers and other radio components, becoming successful enough in 1935 to build a new factory in the Borgo Panigale area of ​​the city. Production was maintained during World War II, despite the Ducati factory being targeted for repeated Allied bombing. 

         Meanwhile, in a small company Turinese SIATA (Societa Italiana per Applicazioni Tecniche Auto-Aviatorie), Aldo Farinelli began developing a small pushrod engine for mounting on bicycles. Barely a month after the official liberation of Italy in 1944, SIATA announced its intention to sell this engine, called the "Cucciolo" (Italian for "dog," referring to the distinctive exhaust sound) to the public. The cucciolos first available course, which will be mounted on standard bicycles, by the buyer, however, businessmen soon bought a small machine in number, and offered complete motorized-bicycle units for sale. 

         In 1950, after more than 200,000 cucciolos been sold, in collaboration with SIATA, the company Ducati finally offered its own Cucciolo-based motorcycle. It is the first Ducati motorbike 60 cc bike weight 98 pounds (44 kg) with a top speed of 40 mph (64 km / h) was 15 mm carburetor giving just under 200 mpg-US (1.2 l / 100 km; 240 mpg -imp). Ducati soon dropped the Cucciolo name in favor of "55M" and "65TL". 

         When the market moves toward larger motorcycles, Ducati management decided to respond, making an impression in the early-1952 Milan show, introducing 65TS cycle and Cruiser (a four-stroke motor scooter). Although described as the most interesting new machine at the 1952 show, the Cruiser was not a great success, and only a few thousand were made during the two years before the model ceased production. 

           In 1953, management split the company into two separate entities, Ducati Meccanica SpA and Ducati ELETTRONICA, in recognition of its diverging motorcycle and electronics product lines. Ducati Ducati Energia SpA ELETTRONICA into the eighties. Dr. Giuseppe Montano took over as head of Ducati Meccanica SpA and the Borgo Panigale factory modernized with government assistance. In 1954, Ducati Meccanica SpA had increased production to 120 bikes per day. 

      In the 1960s, Ducati earned his place in the history of motorcycles with 250 cc producing the fastest road bike available later, Mach 1 in 1970 Ducati began producing large-displacement V-twin motorcycles and 1973, releasing a V-twin with desmodromic valve design trademark . In 1985, Cagiva bought Ducati and planned to rebadge Ducati motorcycles with the lesser-known Cagiva name (at least outside of Italy). At the time the purchase was completed, Cagiva save the "Ducati" name on a motorcycle. In 1996, Texas Pacific Group bought a 51% stake in the company to US $ 325 million, then, in 1998, bought most of the remaining 49% to become the sole owner of Ducati. In 1999, TPG issued an IPO of Ducati stock and renamed the company Ducati Motor Holding SpA. TPG sold over 65% of its shares in Ducati, leaving TPG the majority shareholder. In December 2005, Ducati returned to Italian ownership with the sale of Texas Pacific shares (minus one share) to Investindustrial Holdings, the investment fund Carlo and Andrea Bonomi. 

         In April 2012, the Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi announced its intention to buy a Ducati for € 860 million ($ 1.2 billion). Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech, a motorcycle enthusiast, has long coveted Ducati, and was sorry that he had missed the opportunity to buy the company from the Italian government in 1984 Analysts doubt a small motorcycle manufacturer will have a meaningful effect on a company the size of Volkswagen, commented that the acquisition have "trophy feel to it," and, "driven by a passion for the VW nameplates rather than industrial or financial logic". Italian luxury car brand Lamborghini reinforced under VW ownership  AUDI AG Automobili Lamborghini SpA acquired 100 percent of children Ducati SpA shares on July 19, 2012 to € 747 million (USD $ 909 million)