MV Agusta has again partnered with Lewis Hamilton to create a collectible model under the F1 champ's name. After last year's special Dragster LH44 roadster, MV has gone all out with a very limited batch of F4 RCs, the already numbered homologation special created for the superbike world championship.
For Meccanica Verghera (MV) Agusta the F4 is a very significant model, as it represents the rebirth of the legendary brand after more than two decades of silence. It was 1997 and under Cagiva ownership, when MV Agusta introduced its first new motorcycle since the 1970s, the F4 superbike with a 750-cc in-line four engine.
In 2001 the F4 grew to 1,000 cc, and retains this capacity class to this day, as MV Agusta has already returned to world superbike (WSBK) racing. Its 2017 lineup includes three F4 versions, starting with the base model, the more powerful F4 RR rolling on Öhlins electronic suspension, and the racing-spec F4 RC.
The latter is actually the version that was created for WSBK homologation, based on the F4 RR and limited to just 250 motorcycles, equipped with racing Öhlins suspension, Brembo GP-series brakes and everything else required for competition at the highest level. Every bike is sold with a very special wooden box that contains a non-road-legal SC exhaust system and an engine control unit that will unleash 212 hp (158 kW) from the four-cylinder powerplant; up from 205 hp (153 kW) in the standard road trim of the F4 RR model.
It would be rather hard to improve on the F4 RC, given that every component has been carefully selected for WSBK racing, so the first step to exclusivity indicates that the F4 LH44 will only be built in 44 examples, as an obvious tribute to Hamilton's F1 racing number.
The LH44 sports a candy apple red paintjob, just like last year's special that was built on a Brutale Dragster RR. It bears Hamilton's racing number, name and signature in several places on its bodywork and it is complemented with a special exhaust system and tires.
The titanium SC exhaust bears Hamilton's insignia, just like the specially-commissioned Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires. The seat is also made specifically for this F4 from alcantara leather, there's a racing quick-release fuel cap atop the tank and exclusive black-anodized suspension from Öhlins.
The price tag of the F4 LH44 has not been revealed yet, although rumors from the English press suggest something around the €60,000 (approximately US$71,000) mark. After all, as is usually the case with such limited and eclectic vehicles, if you have to ask how much it costs, it probably isn't for you anyway.
Source: MV Agusta
