Ducati ran into trouble when they tried to replicate the Seagrass Green shade for L.E.'s frame. After five months of frustration, trying to match it to the original bike, Smart admitted the bike had been scratched in his shop so he had repainted the frame himself using Hillman Imp touch-up paint.
The Smart/Imola story is a true motorcycling fairytale. The Imola 200 was set up to be a 'European Daytona' - all the leading factory European factories were to take part, riders from across the Continent were being drafted in. Heading the entries was multi world champion Giacomo Agostini aboard his mighty MV Agusta. Others greats included Brits Phil Read, John Cooper, Mick Grant and more.
At the time, Ducati was a long way from being one of the greats and was desperate for a teammate for regular rider Bruno Spaggiari aboard its new Desmo V-Twin. Paul Smart's wife, Maggie, took the call and accepted on his behalf.
"Lots of people turned the ride down but I said yes," she says today. "Paul wasn't sure but by then I'd already said he'd do it so there was no way I was letting him back out."
The rest, as they say, is history. Ducati's new V-Twin Desmo turned out to be a rocketship. Ago broke down, Smart won from Spaggiari, and the world of Ducati changed forever.
Inspired by the bike's success, Ducati chief engineer Ing Taglioni used the racer as the model for a whole new range of production road bikes and the Bologna firm's 'big twin' era, today crowned by the 999, was born.
Smart was allowed to keep the winning bike, on condition he completed three more international races aboard it. He's had it ever since.
The devil is in the details. Striving for an authentic retro feel, even the tach and speedo displays nestled behind the fairing play along sporting 1972-esque typography.
"At first it didn't mean an awful lot," he says today. "It just went in the shed and gathered dust and then later went into my shop. Then out of the blue came this call from Ducati a few years ago and they wanted to buy the bike back. But I said it wasn't for sale.
"But now look at me. I'm totally amazed to be here. I'm one of the few people in the world to have a motorcycle built after my motorcycle - and how many people can say that? It's got my name on and it's gorgeous."
Sport Classic Accessories
The launch of the bikes is just the beginning. Ducati is planning a whole range of tailor made accessories for the Sport Classics, ranging from full exhaust systems to cosmetic add-ons, most of which will be available as soon as the bikes go on sale. Here's what's already on offer.
Paul Smart 1000 LE
2-into-1 race exhaust
High screen
Ergal clutch plate
Magnesium alternator cover
Magnesium valve covers
Magnesium clutch cover
Carbon clutch cover
Carbon gearbox sprocket cover
CNC ergal rearsets
Carbon cambelt cover
Bike cover
Paddock stand
Tank cover
Gold chain
Sport 1000
Termignoni slip-on silencers
Ohlins shock
Ohlins forks
Chromed mirrors (small)
Alarm system
Brake and clutch master cylinder cover
Ergal clutch pressure plate
Comfort seat
Paddock stand
Red chain
Polished alloy, slotted clutch cover
Tank protector with bag
High-quality bike cover
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