The legend of Paul Smart, Ducati, and the Imola race track is deeply entrenched in motorcycle history. Ducati’s groundbreaking 750 GT was barely a year old when Fabio Taglioni introduced the revolutionary desmodromic valve timing system, paving the way for a race-spec version. Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari famously piloted the ‘750 Desmo’ to first and second place respectively at the 1972 Imola 200, marking the dawn of Ducati’s superbike era.
Most people associate Ducati’s Imola 200 victory with the iconic 1974 750 Super Sport, but there’s an even rarer motorcycle that preceded it. Wedged between the 750 GT and the 750 Super Sport in the annals of Ducati history is the 1972 Ducati 750 Sport.

Designed by Leopoldo Tartarini and produced in extremely limited numbers, the Ducati 750 Sport was essentially the closest thing to a production version of the 750 Imola Desmo. Like the race bike, it was derived from the 750 GT but made more power, thanks to an increased compression ratio and a pair of Dell?Orto PHF32A carbs. It also sported higher-spec components and could be specced with a fairing and twin front brakes, making it a great choice for track racers. Curiously though, the 750 Sport still used the GT’s regular valve train, rather than the new desmodromic system. This was presumably a move to keep costs down?or to give the desmo time to develop before sticking it in a production model.

The first edition of the 750 Sport wore a...