Two of the very finest, highly pedigreed superbikes bred carefully by two very different Italian manufacturers take the term “exotica” to another level. These two machines are very much alike—though clearly very different. Varied interpretations on a theme, these storied Italian factories steeped in racing heritage arrive at almost exactly the same point, yet via very different routes. The lucky rider who gets to experience both machines will be absolutely spoiled for choice.

MV Agusta's 1,000cc Agostini F4
MV Agusta dabbled in commercial motorcycle manufacturing from the '50s into the '80s, but the company's passion was always its road-racing machines. It was the dominant force in the '50s, '60s and '70s world championships, and in that time MV Agusta motorcycles won an unprecedented 270 Grands Prix that resulted in 37 individual riders' championship titles. During its dominant reign, Count Domenico Agusta's factory machines carried some of the finest riders that ever lived, including Mike Hailwood, John Surtees, Gary Hocking, Carlo Ubbiali, Phil Read and Giacomo Agostini. “Ago” was especially successful, alone amassing an astounding total of 14 world championship titles for MV. (Click image to enlarge)
 
With the second coming of the MV Agusta marque in 1997, the motorcycle world immediately became a more beautiful place. That year, Massimo Tamburini artfully designed the most significant motorcycle for the firm since his departure from Ducati: The new 750cc F4 Serie Oro was a stunning study of motorcycle both as machine and art form. But for 2004, the famed designer upped the ante with the long awaited 1,000cc F4, bringing more horsepower and flexibility to an already legendary engine. (Click image to enlarge)

MV Agusta has recognized Agostini's considerable achievements with a namesake limited edition. Only 300 of these signature “AGO” models have been built, and only 60 imported into the United States.

Easily distinguishable from the standard versions, each side of the silver lower fairing has a yellow racing-type plate emblazoned with the number 1. Each machine carries an 18-karat gold identification plate on its upper triple clamp and is delivered resting on a racing stand and protected by a matching red cover bearing large MV Agusta insignias. The package also includes a red MV mechanic's jumpsuit should the buyer decide to roll up his or her sleeves and dig deeper into the spares kit. At the heart of that is a special box containing a less restrictive exhaust and a re-tuned EPROM chip. Validating the AGO F4 as a true collector's piece is an accompanying framed certificate of authenticity, hand-signed by Giacomo Agostini himself.

Keeping the AGO as an investor's static trophy, however, is definitely out of the question. Starting at the F4 logo-embossed red suede seat, the cockpit invites anyone with an imagination to hop aboard, grab the bars and dream the MV dream. The bike's stunning appearance comes from the visual impact of its exquisite proportions and scale of the individual pieces. MV Agusta's fit, finish and attention to detail is breathtaking, and in a realm beyond the best of most production-line motorcycles.

The hand-assembled four-cylinder 1,000cc engine generates 166 hp at 11,700 rpm. Equally impressive is the peak torque output of 80 ft lbs at 10,200 rpm. The new motor uses single-stage fuel injectors, each controlled by a Weber Marelli management system that feeds 46mm throttle bodies.