1957 Ducati 125 Sport

 

Listed on Car and Classic this pretty little '57 Ducati Sport 125. Not much of a write up (actually no write up at all) but the images are probably enough to make that call.

The 1957 Ducati 125 Sport was deeply rooted in Ducati's racing heritage, being designed by Fabio Taglioni with direct inspiration from the highly successful Gran Sport 'Marianna' racer. The Marianna dominated endurance races such as the Milano-Taranto and Motogiro d'Italia, and the 125 Sport models were even known as 'Modello Motogiro' due to their shared technical specifications with racing counterparts. The styling of the 125 Sport mimicked contemporary racing machines like the 125 F3. The 125 Sport was available in both standard and 'factory race form', and was favored by 'boy racers' in Italy who would adapt them for competition. Ducati's racing reputation, which began with the 100cc Gran Sport in 1955, saw the Gran Sport engine design form the basis for all overhead camshaft singles until 1974, leading to the development of advanced Bialbero (double overhead camshaft) and desmodromic racers. These racing developments saw a desmo Ducati nearly win the 1958 125cc World Championship, and Mike Hailwood secured his first Grand Prix victory on a desmo single.