The Legendary Ferrari 900: The One-of-a-Kind Story of a Hand-Built 1990s Icon

In the ’90s, a British engineer obtained permission from Piero Ferrari to build a motorcycle for the Prancing Horse: the story of a unique and iconic model.

Ferrari, a brand now legendary when it comes to four wheels. On the track, the machine born in Maranello that wrote the history of F1, while on the road it remains the ultimate forbidden dream. But not everyone knows that the Ferrari brand also ventured into two wheels. There is a single motorcycle in the world, named the Ferrari 900, that bears the Prancing Horse logo. A handcrafted project approved by Piero Ferrari himself, with no future but still iconic.

We’re in the 1990s: David Kay is an engineer from the West Midlands (Great Britain) with an unbridled passion for motorcycles, especially classic MV Agustas—and not just in words. He restored them, then began making the no-longer-available spare parts himself, moved on to faithful replicas, and continued with completely new engines... culminating in the founding of a specialized company that still exists today, run by his heirs. Then came an idea that might seem insane: he wanted to build a motorcycle, call it Ferrari, and put the Prancing Horse logo on it! But he needed approval from Piero Ferrari, to whom he sent a letter explaining the project. And how do you think Ferrari responded?

Since we’re telling you about this project, the green light came without reservations. Want some details? It took over 3,000 hours of work and five years in total for this one-of-a-kind handcrafted project, which saw the light in 1995: a trellis frame made of Reynolds 531 steel tubes; a 900cc air-cooled inline 4-cylinder engine, 105 horsepower at 8,800 rpm; Brembo braking system, upside-down fork, Astralite wheels; dry weight of 172 kg and a top speed of 265 km/h. A unique collector’s item that is part of two-wheeled history.

Two other two-wheeled details are worth mentioning, in some way linked to the legendary Maranello company. There’s also a “superbike,” the HF355, another handcrafted project created by Max Azan starting from a 400 hp Ferrari F355 V8 engine, but in this case there is no official connection with Ferrari. A different story, however, is that for three years the Prancing Horse managed motorcycles to help sporting clients who wanted to try their hand at competition. Enzo Ferrari was very fond of motorcycles; he believed they were formative for drivers, and let’s remember that two aces like Tazio Nuvolari and Achille Varzi came from two wheels.

Italian brands, however, did not sell to private individuals, so Ferrari turned to British manufacturers, especially Rudge but also Norton. We’re in the 1930s, and success didn’t take long: in three years, from 1932 to 1934, there were 44 victories and three national titles, two with Giordano Aldrighetti and one with Aldo Pigorini. When Rudge’s competitiveness waned, Ferrari brought his two-wheeled venture to a close: the last appearances were in August 1934, the swan song of the legendary brand in motorcycles.

-> Follow us on Instagram: @Corsedimoto