At the ripe age of 78, MV Agusta is the third-oldest Italian motorcycle company still in operation. But the company’s first motorcycle engine is even older—it was built in 1943, two years before the Meccanica Verghera Agusta brand was officially registered. Now the Varese-based marque is celebrating its birth with the release of the luxurious MV Agusta Superveloce 98 Edizione Limitata.
The Superveloce is the closest thing that MV Agusta has to a modern classic in their current range. Based on the MV Agusta F3 superbike, it uses the donor bike’s 798 cc triple-cylinder engine, steel trellis frame, aluminum swingarm, and most of its running gear. But it trades the F3’s ultra-modern fairings for more elegant bodywork, echoing the rounder aesthetics of MV Agusta’s 1970s race bikes.
First revealed in 2018, the Superveloce has come out in various versions and special edition trims since. Taking up residence alongside the current ‘base’ model Superveloce and the swankier Superveloce S, the Superveloce 98 pays tribute to the company’s first motorcycle—the MV 98.
If you’re not au fait with MV Agusta’s history, we’ll bring you up to speed. The marque traces its originals back to the early 20s, which is when Giovanni Agusta co-founded the Costruzioni Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta S.A. aircraft company. When he passed away just a few years later at the age of 48, the company was left to his wife and sons.
Business was good… and then the Second World War happened. A post-war ban on Italian aircraft manufacturing would have crippled the family, if not for the fact that Giovanni’s son, Domenico Agusta, had already had the idea to start building motorcycles a few years prior. He rationalized that diversifying the company would be the best way to ensure its longevity and that Italy would need affordable transport solutions after the war.
By 1943, the company had built its first motorcycle engine—a 98 cc single-cylinder two-stroke mill with a two-speed transmission. It went into production for all of a few weeks, before the occupation of the factory in 1943 put Domenico’s plans on pause. Two years later, the MV Agusta company was finally established—and its first motorcycle, the MV 98, was on the market.
You could write volumes about the MV 98 alone. It was an elegant little 70 kg [154 lbs] machine, sporting 19” wheels, a girder front end, and plunger rear suspension. Its diminutive engine displayed a mechanical simplicity that is seldom seen on modern bikes.
But a big talking point was its color. Save for a splash of chrome on the fuel tank, most of the bike was painted in a rich burgundy hue.
There aren’t many similarities between a 98 cc classic that tops out at 65 km/h [40 mph], and a modern superbike that makes 147 hp. So MV Agusta is tying the Superveloce 98 to its namesake by way of an exotic paint job and a smattering of tribute graphics.
The MV Agusta Superveloce 98’s metallic burgundy color is called ‘Rosso Verghera,’ and it’s applied by hand using multiple matte layers with a gloss finish laid over them. Silver stripes run down each side of the fairing, with special ’98 Edizione Limitata’ logos adorning the tail section. The Superveloce’s frame and stunning cross-spoked aluminum wheels are done in silver to contrast the dark burgundy hue.
Under the livery, the Superveloce 98 is pretty much identical to the Superveloce S. Its triple-cylinder engine boasts a counter-rotating crankshaft, DLC-coated cams, and a handful of titanium internals. It wears Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa tires, twin Brembo Stylema front brake calipers, and a TFT display with myriad electronic rider aids. It also weighs just 173 kilos [381 lbs] dry.
There’s an optional racing kit for the MV Agusta Superveloce 98 too. It includes a matching pillion seat cover, a bike cover, a racing ECU, and a blacked-out triple-exit Arrow exhaust.
MV Agusta hasn’t announced pricing for the Superveloce 98 yet. But considering that Italian pricing for the Superveloce and Superveloce S starts at €23,100 and €27,900 respectively [$24,598 and $27,998 in the US], you can imagine.
You’ll need to jump quickly if you want one too. MV Agusta is only producing 300 units, each bearing a numbered laser-engraved plaque—and they claim that most of them are already spoken for by enthusiastic MV Agusta collectors.
Source: MV Agusta
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