Desmosedici

Since the Streetfighter 1098 was dropped by Ducati, the only powerful naked bike in its lineup was the Monster 1200. The arrival of the V4 engine offers a prime opportunity to reclaim class top honors. Enter the prototype Streetfighter V4.

The Paris/Retromobile round of collectible car and bike auctions gets underway this week with sales by Artcurial, Bonhams and RM. Though dozens of cars will sell for more than a million dollars, the world's most important barnfind, the Baillon Collection, will be the star of the show.

Our list of the top 100 highest priced motorcycles ever sold at auction offers unprecedented perspective on the rare motorcycle marketplace. It includes full details and images of each bike, plus links to the official auction page and catalog descriptions.

Midual has joined the ranks of limited-edition hyper-priced motorcycles with an ingenious redesigned boxer engine, a cast-aluminum monocoque chassis, bespoke personalization and craftsmanship and a we-come-to-you service model.

So you think you have an eye for value in assessing the finest racing machinery? Here are a dozen cars and motorcycles that sold at auction last week. Can you guess what they sold for?

In a sign of the times, Ducati has announced it will be selling two Ducati Desmosedici GP machines at auction: a GP11 Desmosedici ridden by Valentino Rossi to his only podium of 2011, and the GP10 upon which Casey Stoner won the 2010 Australian GP

Ducati's new generation v-twin 1200cc sports bike will be announced at EICMA in November. It will use the same frameless design which has been raced and evaluated rather unsuccessfully by Valentino Rossi.

Our annual look at what you wont be getting for Christmas this year – the most outrageous examples of high-end overkill that have graced Gizmag's pages throughout 2010.

It's a long time since we saw anything quite as extreme as the NCR M16, a motorcycle that takes one of the most expensive roadbikes ever built, throws almost all of it in the bin and replaces it with the most exotic materials on the planet.

Ducati is so pleased with the weight saving and additional rigidity afforded by its MotoGP frame design that it has patented the frame for its road bikes.

Looking for something a bit unconventional? The hub-centre-steered Vyrus runs a 211 bhp supercharged 1198cc 1098R Ducati engine, weighs just 158 kg and costs EUR 65,000 (US$91,700).

While carbon fibre has been the construction material of choice for F1 for three decades, the first win by a motorcycle made of carbon fibre at the highest level did not come until this evening.