Ducati je počeo kao mala privatna tvrtka 1920. godine koja je proizvodila kućna električna pomagala.

Godine 1945. je proizvela prvi motocikl (CUCCIOLO) što bi prevedeno s talijanskog na hrvatski značilo (malo štene) a pokretao ga je pogonski agregat skromnih dimenzija od 48 kubičnih centimetara četverotaktne koncepcije.

Godina 1946. je godina kada Ducati počinje s proizvodnjom motocikala i kada je Cucciolo postigao uspjeh na tržistu.

Proizvodnja se nastavlja a 1954. godine Inžinjer Fabio Taglioni dolazi u Ducati kao glavni dizajner (konstruktor) te zatim slijedi njegov prvi uradak Gran Sport Single (jednocilindrični agregat) nadimkom Marianna, koji je postizao maksimalnu brzinu do 136 km/h, kubikaže 98 centimetara kubičnih a kasnije se s njime vozio i Giro di Italia.

Kad se kubikaža povećala na 124,5 centimetara kubičnih počele su se proizvoditi razne verzije raznih kubikaža toga modela.

1970. godine Taglioni dobiva zeleno svjetlo da dizajnira novi dvocilindrični agregat L konepcije i rezultat je prvi dvocilindrični GT model 1971. godine kubikaže 748 cc.

Poznati vozači koji su vozili te prve strojeve su: Mike Hailwood, Paul Smart, Bruno Spaggiari, Benjamin Grau, Salvador Canellas, itd pa sve do danas aktualnog Svjetskog prvaka u Grand Prixu, Australca, Caseya Stonera i njegovog kolege, Talijana Lorisa Capirossia, te Britanca Carla Fogartya iz Superbikea i Australskog dvojca također iz Superbikea, Troya Baylissa i Troya Corsera.

Sjedište Tvrtke Ducati je danas smješteno u Italiji u Bologni (Borgo Panigale) a najveća tržišta na kojima Ducati ostvaruje prodaju su SAD, Europa i Australija.

Ducati je jedna od zaista rijetkih tvrtki koja ima na internetu svoj blog odnosno Desmoblog, na kojem se svi vlasnici i potencijalni vlasnici ovih sjajnih Talijanskih tradicionalnih proizvoda mogu obratiti neposredno direktoru firme sa svojim prijedlozima, problemina, komentarima i pitanjima.

Ducatijeva tvornica se može obići i razgledati turistički, skoro u cijelosti, što je još jedna od rijetkih mogućnosti u svijetu motociklizma.

Ducati ima i svoj tjedan u mjesecu srpnju (Ducati Desmo Week) u kojem se svi ponosni vlasnici sastaju te organizirano voze po stazi za utrke s instruktorima vožnje i slave uz zabavne programe.

SHORT HISTORY OF DUCATI COMPANY

The origins of Ducati are in the heart of Bologna. The company, Società Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati (Ducati's original name), was founded on July 4th, 1926. by the Ducati brothers Adriano, Bruno and Marcello.

The first headquarters were in the centre of town, in Via Collegio di Spagna 9, right next door to the Collegio di Spagna itself, an institute for Spanish students in Bologna.

The three Ducati brothers rented three rooms on the ground floor to start their business while their initial workshop was located in the basement of their family's villa, Villa Lydia, in Viale Guidotti, 51.

Eventually Villa Lydia and the offices in the centre of Bologna were too small for Ducati and the brothers decided to move their operations to Borgo Panigale. The first stone of the Borgo Panigale factory was placed on June 1, 1935.

Spring of 1942 Italy entered World War II, it was impossible to continue the work.

WWII bombing destroyed the Ducati factory on October 12, 1944. At the end of WWII, in May 1945,

Ducati began working to restore and rebuild the factory.

In the year 1945. Ducati factory has produced the first motorcycle named (Cucciolo) Italian word for (Puppy) with a four stroke engine and total displacement of 48 cc.

The year 1946. is the year when Ducati starts with the production of motorcycles and the year when the Puppy made its success on the market.

In 1954. while the company was under state control, Ducati production was split into two parts: Ducati Elettrotecnica and Ducati Meccanica, but the production continues and Fabio Taglioni joins the Ducati factory as chief designer engineer, and he makes his first motorcycle Gran Sport Single named Marianna with a single cylinder engine, displacement 98 cc and max speed of 136 km/h, which was later used to race famous Giro di Italia.

Afterwords the ccs went up to 124,5 cc and the production of differnet variations of Gran Sport Single named Marianna went into the production.

1970. Taglioni gets a green light to design new two cylinder engine, L concept, and the result was the first two cylinder GT model with displacement 748 cc in the year 1971.

Famous riders that had riden these two cylinder machines were: Mike Hailwood, Paul Smart, Bruno Spaggiari, Benjamin Grau, Salvador Canellas, etc, till today known riders in Moto Grand Prix, Australian, Casey Stoner and his Italian colleague, Loris Capirossi, British Carl Fogarty from World Superbike and Australian duo also from WSBK, Troy Bayliss and Troy Corser.

The biggest market on which Ducati makes the highest sales score are USA, EU and Australia.

July 19, 2012 AUDI AG's Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. subsidiary acquired 100 percent of the shares of Ducati Company for €747 million (US$909 million) Headquartered in Bologna, Italy. That means, Ducati is owned by German automotive manufacturer Audi through its Italian subsidiary Lamborghini.

Ducati factory also has online blog named Desmoblog, over which the Ducati owners around the world can directly address to the company and its CEO. Ducati factory can be visited by tourists almost entirely. There is also an event called Ducati Desmo Week that is organized by Ducati, it gathers the Ducati owners on a race track all around the world during the month of July so that the Ducati owners can meet and celebrate with all kinds of events and programmes prepared for them.

That makes the Ducati company one of the rarest companies in the world that show that kind of treatment to customers and potential owners.

Pics: 1. Ducati Gran Sport Single, Marianna. 2. Cucciolos (Puppy) 48 cc engine. 3. 1979. Pantah, air-cooled engine looks much like modern Ducati air-cooled engine, shows that the concept was very successful. 4. Modern Ducati air-cooled engine and the trellis frame have become the classic.