I’ve always thought the 748 was one of the prettiest and most appealing Ducatis of recent times. It had the elegant architecture of the 916, but a shorter-stroke engine that revved to a sky-high 11,500rpm. Ducati made several versions of the 748, but the ultimate—and rarest—was this 748RS model. These delicate, rarely-pictured machines were homologation specials; stripped-down versions of the street bike with lightweight bodywork, race-only wiring looms and exposed cam belts. The engines were modified internally in line with FIM regulations, and were supplied with extremely aggressive cam profiles. A sinuous 54mm lightweight Termignoni exhaust system completed the spec. They’re not user-friendly bikes, and require very specialized maintenance—not least replacing the valves every 750 miles or so. The RS was campaigned with success on the track; in the US, it delivered a Battle of the Twins win for Dario Marchetti in 2004 and a Pro Thunder win for Kirk McCarthy in 2002, and in France it took David Muscat to three consecutive Supersport wins between 2000 and 2002.