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Lady in Black
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MV Agusta F4CC
Jeff Buchanan
04/01/2007
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Photography by Cordero Studios/corderostudios.com
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It has been said that 20 percent of all the art
ever created is in Italy. The country overflows with legendary beauty. From
the spellbinding Sistine Chapel to da Vinci’s The Last Supper; from
Michelangelo’s David to the Leaning Tower of Pisa; Italy stirs the imagination
with its timeless creations.
For motorcyclists, Italy also conjures beauty
of the two-wheel variety. The modern day artisan in this arena is MV Agusta, a
concern that has created a new masterpiece. However, unlike the Mona Lisa or
Michelangelo’s David—of which there is only one of each—MV has created 100 of
its new creation. The stunning F4CC.
As the owner of MV, Claudio Castiglioni
used his position to zealously bring a personal dream to fruition—produce a
motorcycle that leaves the beholder breathless in terms of appearance, and
speechless in terms of performance. Perhaps, only a venerated, ardently Italian
manufacturer such as MV Agusta could put forth the audacious aspiration of
building a motorcycle that is like “a beautiful woman in a little black number.”
And that’s exactly what Castiglioni—whose initials deservedly comprise the
machine’s moniker—drew into the design mandate in creating this rare gem of
beauty and functionality.
 Rightly so, Castiglioni is taking possession of the
first F4CC—frame number 001—and has commissioned just 99 more to be
made-to-order for elite connoisseurs of two-wheel magnificence. The rarity of
units, combined with the interesting asking price of exactly €100,000, instantly
ensures that yet another classic motorcycle will perpetuate MV’s inimitably
storied profile. (Click image to enlarge)
The modern day Michelangelo is master designer Massimo
Tamburini, who sculpted with unbridled, luxurious excess the F4CC’s striking
black livery. Accented throughout with handcrafted exotic metals that unfold
like contrasting brush strokes on a two-wheel canvas, the flowing lines of the
MV’s exquisite carbon fiber bodywork are adorned with perfect, minimalist
pinstripes that hint to its wind tunnel birth in the pursuit of ultimate
speed.
The fork feet, top triple clamp, steering damper, brake and clutch
reservoirs, gear shifter, brake lever, footpegs and side stand are all handmade,
CC-specific components. The mesh screens over the intake ducts and radiator, as
well as the classic organ pipe exhaust system, are fabricated from gorgeous
super light titanium. Engineers and designers carefully shaved off precious
ounces of excess from existing MV pieces and fabricated new ones from
lightweight materials, from the aerospace industry–inspired fuel filler cap, to
the Alcantara saddle, resulting in a tailor-made motorcycle of unequaled
excellence.
However, the F4CC isn’t all blinding aesthetics. With the keys to
MV’s racing department, Castiglioni made sure the machine also delivers ultimate
performance. Each motor is hand-built with engineers bringing their wizardry to
bear on the internals of the substantial technological, visceral health of an
F4R 4-cylinder powerplant. With intricate combustion chamber modifications, hand
polishing of intake ducts, crafting of lighter pistons, radically reworking the
timing system and increasing throttle body size to 48mm to feed the thirstier
beast, they were able to extract an astonishing 198 real horsepower. With it
churning through a lightened 6-speed cassette-style racing transmission to a
redline of 13,000 rpm, MV Agusta placed the F4CC’s top speed during one test run
at a mind-boggling 195.6 mph; and they only stopped there because of the
limiting factor of the tires.
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