Ducati 1199 Panigale Awards
At this year’s iconic red dot awards in Germany, Ducati’s latest superbike – the 1199 Panigale – won the prestigious “best-of-the-best” award for product design.
The 1199 Panigale was picked for one of the international design competition by a jury of 37 experts. All together, 4,662 products were put through the selection process at this year’s red dot awards.
Everything about the 1199 screams passion, from the 195-horspower Superquadro motor to the three rider modes to the eight levels of traction control to the redesigned non-trellis Monocoque chassis that helped shaved 22 pounds on Ducati’s superbike.
The 1199′s Superquadrata motor, named due to its massively over-square bore and stroke, is a totally new engine that features the latest in Ducati technology, although still a 90-degree L-Twin. This type of innovation in design helped the 1199 achieve the infamous red dot award.
Held at the Aalto Theatre in Essen, Germany, on Monday, July 1, the glittering awards ceremony was attended by some of the biggest names in the world of design. The highly influential audience enjoyed an intriguing display of jury-selected products, of which Ducati’s 1199 Panigale became the star of the show.
Ducati’s award-winning Superbike will be exhibited for four weeks at the red dot design museum in Germany, at an exhibition in Taiwan and, for one year, at the impressive red dot design museum in Singapore.
The red dot design award is the only international award that boasts two dedicated design museums, in Germany and Singapore, thus giving further visibility and added credibility to awarded product designs.
The 1199 Panigale’s cutting-edge technology and aesthetic brilliance have combined to create a work of art and by going beyond the barriers of motorcycle design, is now enjoying international success. Ducati’s charm has also now spread beyond the boundaries of the motorcycling industry and is fascinating the whole world.
With every single component designed to maximise performance, while achieving aesthetic perfection, the motorcycle’s description further validates its design success. The 1199 Panigale’s shape and form captures light in a way that conveys the dynamism of a body that is solid yet nimble and elegant yet powerful.
Its smooth streamlining flows effortlessly from the front fairing to the rear light, artfully housed in the motorcycle’s tail. Even its empty spaces become an essential aspect, with LED lights shaping a surface for the frontal air intakes. Both the engine and exhausts reveal themselves and yet remain hidden, seemingly playing out a subtle game in which exposure constantly interacts with audacious absence.
The result expresses the essence of beauty in every last detail leaving the new 1199 Panigale to celebrate Ducati originality, acknowledged by all as the pinnacle of motorcycling design.
Andrea Ferraresi (Ducati Design Center Director) says: “The red dot ‘best of the best’ award acknowledges all the hard work put in by everyone at Ducati R&D for over three years.
“Moreover, joining the ranks of the award’s top winners has made this product – and Ducati – part of product design history. Every single component has been designed to be performance-oriented and function-specific. Together, all these components form a harmonious, light, visually stunning product. Which is just how a Ducati should be.”
Dr. Peter Zec (Founder and CEO of red dot, highlighted how outstanding design capacity and economic success go hand-in-hand: “The winners of the red dot product design award 2013 are the protagonists of fast developments within the very culture of industrial design. The last few days have seen us engaged in the extremely difficult task of selecting the best, most deserving designs. Indeed, it is sometimes just a single detail that makes the difference when it comes to showing off a product’s special qualities. All these creations have been assessed and examined by the expert and critical eyes of an international red dot jury.”
The Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore covers 4000m2 and houses over 2000 products inside one of the world’s greatest contemporary design exhibitions.
From July 2-28, the museum will host the winning products of 2013 in an exhibition entitled “design on stage – red dot award winners: product design 2013”, a unique event that will highlight the latest design trends. The Ducati 1199 Panigale will be a part of the exhibition and visitors will have the opportunity to take a close look at the originality and innovation of this impressive “best-of-the-best” motorcycle in the extraordinary setting of the red dot design museum.
