In 1956 Ducati attempted a series of world records in a wide variety of categories. At the time, the public was absolutely charmed by speed-records. In this context Ducati created a record-breaking vehicle using the Gran Sport 100 as a foundation. In fact engineering modifications were limited to the mechanics and running gear alone. Alternately, serious and immediately apparent modifications were made to the bodywork, which was crafted by Ducati with an aeronautical engineer and Tibaldi, a company specializing in sheet-aluminum working. The result: a fascinating “flat-fish” fairing that greatly improved the bike’s aerodynamics.
The vehicle testing entrusted to two private riders, and a record-breaking attempt was made on Friday, November 30th. Due to anticipated rain, an elastic sheet of waterproof material was used to cover the gap between rider and fairing. The day ended in victory: 44 world records fell. Five new records went to the Ducati bike in the 250 class, even though the bike only had a capacity of 100 cc. The Siluro completed its fastest lap at an average of over 170 km/h, while its average over 1000 km verged on 160 km/h!
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