It’s not every day that you see a bike still in its crate unless you work at a dealership or a manufacturing facility. It’s not every day that you also see a bike as rare as a Ducati MH900e but put those two things together and you have yourself a recipe for an insanely high auction price.
This motorcycle went up for sale on Bring A Trailer, then once it was sold, the story was picked up right after it was sold. The final auction price was $45,000 USD, but there is more to the story than just a hefty price tag. This is not the first time that an MH900e popped up for sale with a crate, but those other bikes were already assembled.
For twenty years, the bike sat inside its crate just waiting and begging to be opened. It’s not uncommon for in-crate motorcycles to fetch high auction prices, just take a look at this in-crate 1992 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R K2 that sold for over $69,000 USD. Just like shoes, watches, or toys, the box helped the price skyrocket into the stratosphere.
On top of that, you’ll never guess where it was found, and no it wasn’t sitting in a Ducati dealership (technically). It was a Harley-Davidson warehouse in Maryland where this MH900e was found. Still sealed in its original packaging, and undisturbed. Again, the box was still sealed! Not to take away from the story, however, but the HD dealership was also an authorized seller of BMW and Ducati motorcycles, so it’s little wonder how the dealer was able to get this model two decades earlier.
The icing on top of the cake is just how coveted the MH900e was when it first launched. The model sold out in just 31 minutes from its release and it originally retailed for about $16,000 USD. All models were numbered and this particular find is number 1,204 out of the 2,0000-unit production run.
After the auction concluded, the lucky buyer forked over $45,000 USD and then proceeded to unseal the Ducati from its wooden crate. The good news is, that the bike was still intact and covered by a plastic sheet.
