Ducati unleashes Streetfighter V4 prototype at Pikes Peak

The 'Naked Panigale' is coming back with a new engine

Ducati’s Streetfighter model, last offered in 2015, will be making a comeback, this time with a V4 engine. The Bologna-based company entered a Streetfighter V4 prototype into the 2019 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, US to serve as the proving ground for the upcoming 2020 model. Rumors of its return first circulated early this year.

The event will start on June 30, however the Streetfighter V4 is already undergoing testing in the course. The entry will be ridden by Carlin Dunne.

As part of the development process of the new model, the "Race to the Clouds" has been identified as an ideal proving ground for testing the high performance of the Streetfighter V4.

In keeping with tradition, the Streetfighter V4 derives directly from the sporty Panigale V4, stripped of its fairings, and fitted with high and wide handlebars. The high performance of the 1100 cm³ Desmosedici Stradale is kept in hand by aerodynamic profiles specifically designed for this model.

The prototype will race with a "pixelated" livery, designed by the Centro Stile Ducati. Unlike the normal practice with prototypes, the livery does not hide the lines, but exalts them by deliberately revealing how the bike will finally look.

"The Streetfighter V4 will be one of the stars of the Ducati World Premiere 2020," declared Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati. "Streetfighter V4 is the Panigale for road riding; so there was no better stage than the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for what will be the highest performance Streetfighter ever put into production.”

The bike will be presented to the public at EICMA 2019 and will be available in Ducati dealerships starting from mid-March 2020 onwards.