Ferrari 900 DOHC Project By Kay Enginerring

1995 Ferrari 900cc motorcycle by ‘David Kay Engineering’ Frame and engine no: SF-O1M

It all started when David Kay wrote to Enzo Ferrari’s son Piero, requesting to build a one-off motorcycle sporting the famous prancing horse badge in tribute to his late father. In a letter dated Maranello, 23rd May 1990 and signed by P. Ferrari himself (included in the comprehensive press and information file on this lot) Kay receives: ‘the approval to place the Ferrari badge on your motorbike’ and is wished good luck with his project. When highly reputed MV Agusta ‘guru’ David Kay set about building this unique piece of engineering from scratch, he looked towards both the future and the past, as he thought of what may have been if Ferrari would have decided to produce a GT or endurance racing machine. Kay was inspired by the fact that Enzo had started his racing on a Scott two-stroke machine and so a project representing over 3,000 man-hours of work was launched.

The engine is a ’scratch built’ 900cc, transverse, double overhead camshaft, four cylinder, eight valve unit with magnesium and alloy casings, driven through a five speed gearbox. The tubular chassis is made of Reynolds 531 tube, engineering on the motorcycle is irreproachable and the detail is quite astounding. The attention to this is quite incredible, with the master cylinder built into the obviously one off digital instrument panel and is again portrayed with the exquisite steering damper.

Terry Hall, who also produced the double curvature reverse cone megaphones, made the entire bodywork out of aluminium. In Kay’s own words these are too beautiful to merely funnel exhaust gases from engine to atmosphere; ‘the noise is like a Messerschmitt chasing a Spitfire’. The front end is very contemporary in conception with Forcelle Italia upside down forks, massive twin piston Brembo disc brakes front and rear (6 pot callipers to the front, 4 to the rear) and special 17 inch hand spun Astralite wheels. WPS twin rear shock absorbers complete the basic specification.
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