The first time I heard learnt about rebadging in the car industry, I was a little appalled. But the more I learnt about the car industry, the more it started to look more like a necessity than anything else. Now though, we’re getting a new kind of monster from Lamborghini – the rebranding of vehicles.
They’ve collaborated with another Italian vehicle maker with an equally impressive motorsport heritage, Ducati, to produce a bike that’s ‘Lamborghini flavoured’. The bike in question is called the Ducati Diavel 1260 Lamborghini and what they’re trying to do with this special project is to transform the essence of their Sián FKP 37 into superbike form.
As far as I can remember, these two VW Group-owned Italian marques have never collaborated before. Just last week we heard that they might be spun off, restructured or sold off and now this little project.
Perhaps Volkswagen Group are testing the waters to see how far they can push cross-branding now that the entire world is pretty much aware that so many European car, bike and truck makes fall under their purview.
As the name suggests, the bike is based on the Diavel 1260 S. The bike takes its styling and inspiration from the Sián FKP 37. You’ll find similar lightweight forged wheels, air intakes and radiator covers made of carbon fibre to what’s found on the Lamborghini. The biggest trace of Ducati’s own aesthetic is the red on the Brembo brake calliper.
If you (understandably) feel that this kind of cross-brand nonsense has no place in the automotive world, you’ll be a little relieved to hear that the production run is extremely limited. Just 630 will be made.
How did they arrive at that number? Probably by dividing ‘1260’ (from the model name) in 2 (the number of brands associated with this bike). For more on this monstrosity, check out the press release below.
PRESS RELEASE
Automobili Lamborghini and Ducati announce the Ducati Diavel 1260 Lamborghini: born from the collaboration between two prestigious brands, the motorcycle is made in a limited and numbered edition of 630 units, celebrating the cooperation between the two organisations and appealing to both motorcyclists and collectors from all over the world.
Ducati and Lamborghini both represent Italian excellence, sharing values such as sportiness, attention to design and a meticulous devotion to detail. From this common ground, the Ducati designers’ inspiration for the special project came from one of the Sant’Agata Bolognese company’s most fascinating models: the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37.
Based on the Diavel 1260 S, the concept of the Diavel Lamborghini transfers the core concepts of the Sián FKP 37 to the motorcycle world, redesigning the components that most characterize the Diavel. The new, lightweight forged wheels explicitly recall those of the car, as do the air intakes and radiator covers made of carbon fibre that suggest superimposed floating elements on the main structure of the bike. Finally, the typical Ducati red is referenced by the colouring of the Brembo brake calipers.
Each detail of the bike, redesigned by the Centro Stile Ducati for this specific project, is made of a light and precious material such as carbon fibre, also inspired by the car. In addition to the radiator covers and air intakes, the silencer cover, spoiler, central tank cover, seat cover, front and rear mudguards, dashboard cover and headlight frame are also made of carbon.
The livery of the Diavel 1260 Lamborghini is the result of the collaboration between the Centro Stile Ducati and Centro Stile Lamborghini. The paints applied to the bike are the same as those used for the Sián FKP 37, with the bodywork characterized by the Verde (Green) Gea colour, while the frame, undertray and forged rims are embellished with the Oro (Gold) Electrum colour. The important Lamborghini design elements of the hexagon and ‘Y’ motif are evident: this special version of the Diavel pays homage to the former in the shape of the exhaust and the latter in the seat’s aesthetic details.
The livery of this Diavel also sports a ‘63’: an important number for the Sant’Agata Bolognese company that was founded in 1963, and the number that multiplied by ten arrives at the 630 numbered units to be produce by Ducati.
