Motorcycle specifications Ducati1260 Apollo 1963 The emergence of a mission

In the early 60s, Ducati was not yet the manufacturer of the big, bewitching, demonic sports bikes we know today. In Bologna, small displacement bikes were made. But this was a time when madness and fantastic projects were born out of people and/or emotions. The 1260 Apollo is part of this trend.

During this period, much of Ducati's production was exported to the American market. The Berliner Motor Corporation handles distribution in the US. Joe Berliner, the company's boss, wielded considerable influence over the Italian factory. And it was he who came up with the idea, and a major part of the financing, for a crazy project: a big motorcycle capable of outperforming the Harley-Davidsons, with a displacement of at least 1200 cm3. The block was to be bigger than Milwaukee's biggest engine, the Panhead of the day, which produced 55 hp from its 1.2-liter engine. The idea was born. And since we were in the midst of the space conquest era, the name for such an insane project was obvious: APOLLO.

At the time, Ducati's biggest engine did not exceed 350 cm3. The technical challenge was therefore enormous.
But the man in charge of this adventure was of rare stature. Already at the helm of Ducat's famous desmodromic valve train (a French invention, patented by Claude Bonjour), Fabio Taglioni chose to design a V-type 4-cylinder. The engineer had indeed considered installing liquid cooling, but the idea was discarded for reasons of space and technical simplicity. Instead, fins do the job of evacuating the heat generated by the 1257 cm3 engine. With ribs measuring 84.5 mm by 56 mm, this is the squarest mill ever produced by a Ducati engineer. The result is more than convincing, even too convincing...
This V4 was already full of ideas. Two power versions were announced. The models intended for the American police would be equipped with 80 hp, powered by two 24 mm carburetors. The sportier version for the general public would be a step up. With 4 large-diameter carburetors (32 mm), power reaches the symbolic and impressive threshold of 100 hp - 15 years before the Honda CBX 1000.

And is where the problems began. With so much power and such a low weight (270 kilos dry), no tire of the time was capable of withstanding the machine's dynamics. Despite Pirelli's best efforts. As development progressed, the manufacturer developed special casings, while power was reduced to 65 hp. Ceriani was called in to provide special suspension. These efforts still failed to bring the necessary satisfaction. What's more, the 220 mm drum brakes suffered under the strain of such a beast.

Too far ahead of the market, the Ducati Apollo never saw a commercial career. Only two prototypes were produced. When the Berliner Motor Company was dismantled in 1984, one found a buyer in a Japanese collector, Hiroaki Iwashita. He loaned it to the Ducati Museum from 2002 to 2003.
The second, in Gold, has never been found.

The Ducati Apollo was priced at around 9,500 euros. A veritable fortune for its time. If a current V4 (the Panigale) can be exchanged for around 15 months' SMIC, or a full year's work, the cruiser of the time would have been exchanged for... 194 SMIG monthly - over 16 years.
A very high-end cruiser before its time, that only the wealthy or the government could afford.

Although the Ducati 1260 Apollo was nothing more than a commercial pipe dream, its technical existence marks a veritable epic in the brand's history. In fact, its engine design saw the birth of an exceptional motorization line. Fabio Taglioni took up the concept of the 90° V engine to develop a twin-cylinder a few years later. The rest is history.
In 2003, the V4 returned, this time to launch Ducati into the highest spheres of competition: MotoGP.
55 years after the Apollo, the Panigale V4 missile revived the 4-V architecture for a production bike. The story comes full circle.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos