DUCATI PANIGALE V4 SPECIALE

I’ll admit to living a little crazy at times and opting for the profiteroles off the specials board, regardless of the few quid extra they might cost. But whether I could justify spending £35k on a spec’d up Panigale V4 Speciale, when the perfectly good base model weighs in some £15,745 cheaper, kept me up pondering at night.

It was a question that needed an answer, and I managed to come up with one during a two-week loan of the fanciest V4 on the market. Like a kid at Christmas, minus the crappy jumper and piles of shredded wrapping paper, my life was lit up exponentially when the van doors opened and a 222bhp beauty was wheeled out before me, resplendent in a striking tricolore livery and sporting more shiny bits than you’ll find in a tart’s handbag.

Did I like the look of it? I loved it, especially once I’d taken the time to explore all