Brought to you by the mind that created the Ducati 916, the MV Agusta F4, the Bimota DB1, and the Cagiva Mito, this is the late Massimo Tamburini’s masterpiece: the Tamburini T12 Massimo. This is a race-ready thoroughbred that draws from Tamburini’s years of experience as one of & the world’s most prominent motorcycle designers. If you appreciate the stunning lines of a Ducati, the innovation of a Bimota, or the unparalleled excellence of an MV Agusta – then Tamburini is the man you’d need to thank.Before his death in 2014, he began working on a top secret project. Powered by a BMW S1000RR inline four Super Bike engine, and sculpted to near perfection, the T12 is his legacy. It’s not street legal, and has only been built for racing purposes only. Coming it a roughly the size of a first gen 500cc two stroke GP racer, and with a dry weight of a mere 340 pounds, this thing is a lethal weapon. Keep in mind that this is Tamburini’s first (and sadly last) machine made only by him, and not in collaboration with any other manufacturer.

The Tamburini T12 Massimo: The Most Beautiful Motorcycle Ever?

All of the bodywork is made from aerospace grade carbon fiber; the frame is made from chrome-moly steel tubing; the swing-arm, rear wheel hub, the sprocket carrier and the engine clamps are all made from magnesium castings. The Marchesini wheels are also forged magnesium, but Massimo’s son, Andrea, (who now heads up the project) is considering going for carbon fiber units that could lower the weight by a further 10 pounds.

As you’d expect with a build of this quality, all of the outsourced components are of the highest quality: the forks and rear shocks are of Ohlins GP quality, the brakes are also the best Brembo units available, complete with Staubli quick release connectors.Since his father’s death, Andrea has successfully assembled two prototypes – one of which has been through rigorous testing already, although the project is still in its early days. Despite all of this, Andrea Tamburini has kept his father’s dream alive, forming the Massimo Tamburini srl (Ltd) along with his other family members and two other partners. The plan is to keep building these high specification machines, but by order only. The price has been quoted at an impressive 300,000 Euros, which seems like a lot of money, but it’s actually a very small price to pay for what could possibly be one of the most sought after racing bikes of our generation.

While many of us will never get the chance to ride one of these rare beauties, simply admiring them from the photographs that you can see here is more than enough. It’s the culmination of over fifty years’ worth of design, effort and engineering. It’s the perfect celebration of an extraordinary man’s life, and his pursuit of perfection.

Massimo Tamburini: 1943 – 2014

(Source: CycleWorld)

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