It’s not exactly a state secret, but not a lot of people know that Audi, the luxury arm of the Volkswagen Group, owns Lamborghini and Ducati. Yes, for those that missed it, the Germans are once again lording their, uhm, organizational skills over the poor Italians.

But if this is a dictatorship, it is surely of the most beneficial kind — both Sant’Agata Bolognese and Bologna Panigale have prospered as never before.

They are selling their high-performance products in record numbers and there’s been a huge boost in build quality. Ducati just unveiled a new Multistrada with an unheard of (in the bike industry) 60,000-kilometre service interval. As well, the steady onslaught of new models emanating from both is at least partially the result of German money backstopping their research.

And now they’re even cooperating on a project together. No, Lamborghini isn’t building a motorcycle. Ducati has just put the finishing touches on a Diavel 1260 called, well, “Lamborghini.”

The Lambo version of Duke’s power cruiser may be mostly a styling exercise – its 1,262-cc V-twin still pumps out 157 horsepower – but it does successfully mimic the look of the Sián FKP 37 (Lamborghini’s 819-hp hybrid sports car). Not only is the Diavel’s “Verde Gea” colouring a mirror-image of the Sian’s but its wheels are bespoke copies as well.

Its air intake is patterned after the supercar’s air scoop and Lamborghini’s flair with carbon fibre is seen throughout the Duke as well. The prominent ‘63” badging, meanwhile, celebrates the year tractor manufacturer Ferruccio Lamborghini founded the company because he was tired of his pedestrian nature of his … Ferrari 250 GT. Thus are legends borne.

The limited run of 630 – ten times 63, geddit? – Lamborghini editions of the Diavel will cost you $34,990 if you’re so tempted. Considering how much cheaper that is than anything else legitimately wearing the Lamborghini name, I suspect you’d better get down to your local Ducati dealer quick-ish if you want one.

#Ducati #Moto #Bike #Diavel #Custom #Sportbike