From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DREAM MACHINES: DUCATI TO LAUNCH THREE NEW CONCEPT BIKES IN THE USA AT CYCLE WORLD INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SHOWS IN LONG BEACH AND NEW YORK

Inspired by the Sportbikes of the 1970s, Ducati’s Three SportClassic Prototypes are the Stuff of Enthusiast’s Dreams

Bologna Italy – “Our dreams live in the legends of racing, in riders like Paul Smart who helped us to write some of the most wonderful pages in the history of world motorcycling. Our dreams live in the simple and classic lines, the rich details and the colours of those trail-blazing Ducati sport bikes of the 1970s” remarks Federico Minoli, President of Ducati Motor Holding.

Minoli continues with “The three bikes to be unveiled represent the perfect mixture of winning technology – always a Ducati hallmark – with the timeless beauty of Ducati Design. PaulSmart, Sport, GT – three motorcycles designed to wet the appetites of enthusiasts everywhere, giving our Ducatisti, we hope, something to dream about. The bikes you will see are design studies. They are not for sale. And yet, at Ducati we know that dreams sometimes come true.”

Whilst all three machines embody the same essential concept, timeless Ducati design linked with high performance, the individual designs, named PaulSmart 1000, GT 1000 and Sport 1000 offer three particular expressions of Ducati heritage while utilizing the latest and most innovative Ducati technologies.

The PaulSmart 1000 is inspired by the 750 Imola on which Paul Smart rode to victory in the historic 200 Miles of Imola in 1972. The PaulSmart 1000 bike brings the spirit of its predecessor back to life with levels of performance able that surpass the expectations of today’s most demanding two-wheel enthusiasts.

The GT 1000 is a sport bike eminently suitable for everyday use, striking a perfect balance between the comfort of a two-seater and the performance of a twin-cylinder Desmo engine. Tradition and stylish elegance are merged seamlessly in this machine, made even more interesting by high-spec componentry and the road performance modern Ducati motorcycles.

The Sport 1000 is a gutsy “Café Racer”. Ducati through-and-through, with a coat of bold Ducati yellow paint, the Sport delivers timeless good looks and excitement that fans and enthusiasts expect of all Ducati sport bikes.

The unveiling will take place at the Long Beach Convention Center in Southern California December 11th 2003, and the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City January 2nd 2004.