$126,000 Panigale V4 limited to 163 examples

For most riders a standard Ducati Panigale V4 at $38,800 AUD would be a pretty expensive and exotic purchase but for those for whom money is no object the company has launched a limited-edition Tricolore Italia version at an insane $126,000 AUD.

You might think that paying more than three times as much would get you a substantial increase in power or reduction in weight – or even both – but the bare figures show that the Tricolor doesn’t have a huge on-paper advantage over the mass-made Panigale V4 or V4 S models.

At 216hp, the power is unchanged, and while it’s more than enough by anyone’s standards that might leave you wondering where your money is going. Weight? At 188kg the Tricolore Italia is 3kg lighter than the base model, but oddly 1kg heavier than the $49,300 AUD V4 S.

So, what do you get for that substantial wadge of cash? Well, there’s the paint scheme, for a start – replicating the livery run by Francesco Bagnaia when he won at Mugello in 2024 – and a smattering of tuning parts, most notably carbon-fibre wheels, a dry clutch and race-spec brakes.

Those brakes are the most intriguing element, as they’re the first standard fitment of the Brembo GP4 Sport Production caliper, wrapped around 338.5mm discs – 8.5mm larger in diameter than the standard 330mm rotors used on the stock Panigale and most other modern superbikes. The discs are finned Brembo T-Drive units, 6.2mm thick, and the GP4 Sport Production calipers are each milled from a solid block of aluminium, with a design based on the brakes used in WSBK.

The carbon five spoke wheels are just under a kilo lighter than the alloys used on the V4 S, reducing rotating and unsprung mass to boost performance and handling, and you also get adjustable, machined alloy footpegs, a carbon cover over that new dry clutch, an Alcantara seat and a race windscreen. As usual in the realm of exotic limited-editions, there’s a certificate of authenticity and a special bike cover, plus a numbered badge on the ignition key. To complete the look, buyers will also be offered the chance to get a set of matching leathers, made in kangaroo skin, with a matching colour scheme.

If that’s enough to convince you that it’s worth digging deep and finding the $126,000 AUD list price, tough: they’re all sold already.