Claudio Castiglioni - RIP

[sbrguy]

the guy was good at choosing talent for designers and really wanting his company to building beutiful bikes, the 916/f4/brutale and soon to be f3.

with any luck hopefully he passed this gene on to his son now running the company.  that and they need to find the next "tamburini" designer, which will be tough.

RIP.

[toodlepip]

Sad day....R.I.P.

[Duc Buz]

RIP

[jvax]

R.I.P.

[ducatiz]

In it's day it was not the only brand running 16", the move away from 16" began after 1988 I believe. The 907 was the best of the breed with 92' believed by many to be the best example. It eventually spawned the ST2 in 97', which also shared some of the 916 bits. Still it is a shame it did not last after 93'. Kinda what happened to the ST3, sorry but I don't think the MTS is a progression. - Gene

good observation.  the 907 was sort of a hybrid bike sharing some of the feel of the 900ss. 

the MTS is really a progression of the Elefant/Gran Canyon line, not the Paso. 

the bevels begat the Pantah which begat the Alazzurra, which begat the Paso and the 750 Sport Nuovo and then the 1989 900SS. 

bike history, bible style.. lol

[BellissiMoto]

A very sad day indeed, I had (as I'm sure most of us did) a ton of respect for Claudio... He pushed the envelope so much and really made Ducati and MV what they are today (or if your pessimistic on today's state of the companies - lets say responsible for what they were pre-09).

[spolic]

With his wife:

^ That must be what killed him.

[ducatiz]

^ That must be what killed him.

the shit-eating grin, you mean?

[OT]

^ That must be what killed him.

More likely it took the two of them to do him in 

[DucatiBastard]

Rest In Peace, Claudio, and Thank You so very much for my bike 

[ab]

RIP.

[hbliam]

Ducati continued this with the Senna versions of the Monster and the 748/996

Ducati officially made a Senna 916. Never officially a Monster or 748/996. The color combo of grey with red wheels became known as/called/even printed on some bikes paperwork as the color Senna but when you don't pay the fee to the Senna foundation you don't get to call it a Senna.

The 2002 748s in the "Senna" color scheme is one of my favorite Ducati's ever.




RIP Monster creator.

[mitt]

Ducati officially made a Senna 916. Never officially a Monster or 748/996. The color combo of grey with red wheels became known as/called/even printed on some bikes paperwork as the color Senna but when you don't pay the fee to the Senna foundation you don't get to call it a Senna.

The 2002 748s in the "Senna" color scheme is one of my favorite Ducati's ever.




RIP Monster creator.

Most people call my 03 M1000 a Senna, but I call it the gray / red version just like the catalog did.

RIP Claudio,

mitt

[ducatiz]

On the Ducati.com home page right now.  A very classy tribute.

Claudio Castiglioni passes away

August 17, 2011
After a long fought battle with disease, Claudio Castiglioni, MV Agusta President and patron of the Cagiva brand, passed away in a hospital in Varese, Italy last night.

While Castiglioni's entrepreneurial quest was born with the Cagiva brand, he will be remembered for his influence on Italian motorcycling as a whole, including Ducati. In fact, in 1985 Ducati was acquired by the Castiglioni brothers, Claudio and Gianfranco, only to be sold in 1996 to the American investment fund Texas Pacific Group who, in turn, sold its shares in 2006 to Investindustrial, the current owner of the motorcycle brand of Borgo Panigale.

It is with a the utmost respect that Ducati celebrates the enthusiasm, passion, courage and determination of Claudio Castiglioni and his impact on Italian motorcycle history. We join his family, his company and the many friends and motorcyclists in mourning his death.

Thank you Claudio, we'll miss you!