MV Agusta F4Z revealed

One of the more intriguing motorcycles to break cover so far this year is the MV Agusta 'F4Z', which was officially unveiled this September.

Based on MV's high-performance F4 RR, the F4Z is the work of Italian carrozzeria Zagato; a coachbuilder and styling house known more for designing and producing sports cars and four-wheel concepts for the likes of Aston Martin, Lancia and Alfa Romeo.

The request to produce a Zagato-bodied bike came from a Japanese enthusiast who owns a large number of Italian motorcycles and Zagato-bodied cars, with this project marking the first time the Milan-based coachbuilder has produced a motorcycle.

Under the mantra of 'Beyond Customisation', the F4Z started with a stock F4 RR, MV Agusta's high performance sportsbike. The 998cc 1148kW/118Nm four-cylinder engine was largely unaltered for the F4Z, but incorporating the new body did require re-manufactured intake manifolds, exhaust system and fuel tank, while the battery has been relocated.

Other running gear, as well as parts like the brakes, wheels, switch gear, etc. are as per the stock F4 RR.

Zagato says that the starting point for what became the F4Z was the notion that a motorbike expresses its owner's lifestyle a lot more than a car. Therefore, it was essential to know and understand the character, passions and wishes of the person that commissioned the project.

The Japanese enthusiast, who Zagato says has been building and buying motorcycles since the 1980s, didn't want anything modern or "fashionable", but rather a motorbike that was classic, but always up to date, with a timeless design and incomparable to any other bike.

The new body produced by Zagato features aluminium and carbon fibre components, and is characterised by the oversized fuel tank section, which flows into the fairing.

The fairing's shark-like protruding front section covers the low slung headlight, while a small windscreen has been mounted separately above, so as not to interrupt the nose-to-tail flow of the design when seen in profile.

At the rear, an unusual feature is that the entire seat and tail section is upholstered, including underneath, with tiny inset tail and indicator lights.

The F4Z made its debut at the third international Concours d'Elegance Chantilly Arts & Elegance event in France this past September, where it was displayed alongside a production F4 to show the Zagato design's radical departure from the stock bike.

While MV Agusta don't see the F4Z as a future production model, they are open to future collaborations like this one, especially if they bring more financial stability to the company.