Ché Bello!

Despite a record 37 manufacturers’ championships, MV Agusta struggled to translate its racing success to 4-cylinder street bike sales in the late 1960s. To win over the motorcycle buying public, MV Agusta released the 750 Sport in 1970. Owner Domenico Agusta fitted a shaft drive to keep the sexy bike from being raced but delivered hardware that sport riders craved: a big, four-cylinder engine, twin overhead cams, and a sleek chassis boasting clip-on handlebars, a sculpted tank, and a humped seat. (Click images to enlarge)

MV Agusta’s commercial accomplishments never quite matched its racing achievements, but the 750 Sport would be considered the first great superbike of the 1970s. And though newer models would eventually eclipse its performance, few would match its rare combination of race heritage and sensuous design.



Italian motorcycle aficionado Guy Webster inaugurated his collection in 1973 with this brand-new 750 Sport. At roughly $5,000, it was exorbitantly expensive for its time. The bike was also, in Webster’s words, “stunningly gorgeous.” The Guggenheim Museum shared that sentiment, and displayed Webster’s bike for four years.