Johann Keyser runs CAV America, one of the
leading builders of Ford GT40 replicas. He’s also the only GT40 builder with the
rights to replicate the official Gulf Oil livery. Keyser is a motorcyclist too,
and describes his custom Ducati as “a bike that I had to build … It had to be
very mechanical looking, naked and lightweight.” It’s hard to pin down the exact
lineage of this aggressive-looking machine, because the donor parts came from
several different bikes.
The frame is from a 749S—modified to accommodate a
torquey, air-cooled 900ie motor—and the single-sided swingarm is from a Monster
S4R. The engine is running K&N air filters, an open clutch and Speedymoto
covers, and it’s hooked up to a custom two-into-one system terminated with a
lightweight SS muffler.
The forks are from a 916 SPS, upgraded with new springs and valves, and the
wheels are also from a 916—but painted to mimic the BRM wheels fitted to GT40s
back in the day. The brake system is Brembo and sprinkled with superlight
titanium parts; the seat and seat frame are from Radical Ducati in Spain. The
tank is a modified 999 fitment and the fairing is a modified glass fiber SS
upper.
With just over 300bhp, the road going version of the GT40 could hit 60 mph from
a standstill in around 5.3 seconds. I’m betting that this machine could knock at
least a second off its bigger stablemate’s time.