British motorcycle designer John Keogh has revealed the long-awaited new V-twin Mike Hailwood replica will sell for $197,000 and be named the Vee Two Hailwood.
Keogh said he is working as designer with Brook Henry (CEO of WA-based Vee Two Australia) and Paul Taylor (CEO of California-based Taylormade Racing and now involved with the recently established Vee Two USA).
“We will be launching the bike on 24 August at the Isle of Man’s Festival of Motorcycling (which includes the Classic TT),” Keogh said.
“As well as taking part in the demonstration parade on 25 August with Mike Hailwood’s son David and grandson Mike, David will demonstrate the new bike alongside the original, which John McGuinness will ride.”
Just 12 replicas are scheduled to be built, commemorating the race number 12 Mike’s bike wore in that famous 1978 F1 win.
Vee Two Australia has spent years developing the replica after securing original factory blueprints and casting moulds for the prototype engine that powered Mike’s bike, and has entered into a contract with the Hailwood family.
Just eight engines of that 1978 specification were ever made.
“The look of the bike is exactly as raced on 3 June 1978 – a true Hailwood replica,” Keogh said.
“While the 40th anniversary celebrations will include the largest gathering of road-going Hailwood replicas, I think we can make it clear how special Mike’s actual bike was in comparison.”
Hailwood’s Ducati changed somewhat after being crashed, but Keogh stresses that his team has made their replica “as close as possible to the machine that left the line on Saturday 3 June 1978”.
This means points ignition, Girling gas rear shocks and even the cooling hole Pedretti cut into the left fairing while preparing Mike’s bike for one of the warmest TT’s ever.
Brook Henry will assemble the 905cc, five-speed 66kW (89hp) engines in his Nannup, WA workshop, while chassis manufacture, painting and final assembly of the 163kg machines will be done at Vee Two USA’s base in Van Nuys, California.
Delivery is expected by the end of this year.
Is the price right?
Forking out nearly $200K for a 40-year-old spec motorcycle sounds a bit crazy. Until you realise that an identical Ducati 900 NCR to the one ridden to TT victory by Mike Hailwood sold for nearly $240,000 three years ago. One of fewer than 25 roundcase 900SS NCR racebikes built, it was sold at Bonham’s Las Vegas auction out of the Silverman Museum Racing Collection. The seller claimed it had never been raced and was in as-new condition.
