Fabio Taglioni

2020 marks the centennial of the birth of Fabio Taglioni, the most influential designer in Ducati's general and technical history. 

A mechanical engineer, in the course of his 30-year career he designed over a thousand projects, including the adoption of the desmodromic system, the "L" twin-cylinder engine and the trellis frame. 

Taglioni's tireless verve for design ranged from small-displacement mopeds and scooters to the powerful twin-cylinder engines of the first "derivative" road and racing motorcycles. 

He completed his graduation thesis in 1948 designing a 500 cc four-cylinder racing engine, and in 1960 he designed a 1500 cc air-cooled 8-cylinder F1 engine. But the latter was never used in competition by any car manufacturer.

The common thread that ran through all his projects was the reliability of his designs. He thought that power alone was not enough to reach the finish line and win, so he introduced desmodromic distribution for the first time in the motorcycling world, which allowed racing engines to achieve very high speeds without losing efficiency.

What's the secret of Taglioni's genius?

Creating winning engines with both small and large displacements that were not only technically perfect but also aesthetically very beautiful. His attention to aesthetics was also evident in his passion for orchids, which he saw as works of art by nature and which he collected throughout his life. A flower with a special allure and unique beauty, aesthetically perfect, which expresses the concept of hybridization in an exemplary manner, over the centuries coming to symbolise refinement, elegance, harmony and beauty, but also and above all passion, sensuality and love. Just like his Ducatis.