Mike Hailwood’s 1960 Ducati 125 Barcone Grand Prix racebike is up for auction at Bonhams’ Spring Stafford Sale. The auction is part of the International Classic Motorcycle Show at Staffordshire County Showground, about 25 miles north of Birmingham in Britain’s West Midlands.
Ducati pulled out of GP racing in 1959, but that didn’t stop Stan Hailwood, father of Mike The Bike, from obtaining a new Barcone Desmo single-cylinder 125cc motor with a six-speed gearbox. Called the Barcone (“barge” in English) due to the nautical look of the crankcase, this engine was numbered D1—the first of four built for the Écurie Sportive team.
According to Ducati, the Barcone motor produced nearly 22 horsepower at 11,800 rpm, with a redline of 12,500 rpm. The temperamental engine ran on 100-octane fuel and required a complete top-end teardown every four races. Special tools at the Ducati factory were required to replace the cylinder and piston, with the mechanic needing specific training. Modifications for Hailwood included a thicker seat and taller fuel tank.
Mike Hailwood won nine races on the Ducati 125 Barcone leading up to the Isle of Man TT. However, Hailwood crashed out of the TT on the first lap. To make the race race-worthy again, a new fork and brakes were installed, with a fiberglass fairing replacing the original aluminum piece. With the racebike repaired, Hailwood won an international race in Zaragoza, Spain, and earned the 1960 British 125cc Championship.
In 1961, Stan Hailwood sold the 1960 Ducati 125 Barcone D1. It continued campaigning in the British Isles, including at Anitree, Oulton Park, and Northern Ireland’s Tandragee 100.
By 1964, the little single was retired and exchanged among collectors. Captain Ivan Forshaw bought the D1 as part of a five-bike sale in the early 1980s. At age 95, Forshaw died in 2006, with the Ducati 125 staying in the family collection until this auction.
In addition to the Mike Hailwood 1960 Ducati 125 Barcone D1, the auction includes a box of spares and tools, various photographs, and two instruction sheets—one typed in Italian and the other hand-translated to English. Ducati expert and author Ian Falloon provided the information for the backstory on the bike, and Bonhams supplied the photographs. Bonhams expects the motorcycle to sell at the Spring Stafford Sale for at least £95,000. Bidding can be done in person, online, by telephone, or by proxy.
Update: The Mike Hailwood 1960 Ducati 125 Barcone D1 sold for a tidy £138,000.
Mike Hailwood 1960 Ducati 125 Barcone D1 Photo Gallery
