The fabled Formula One World Champion, Ayrton Senna, was known to have contacts in high places. Aside from the long list of close allies from the racetrack, the Brazilian counted Claudio Castiglioni, then the boss of MV Agusta, as a friend. The Italian motorcycle magnate had transformed his family’s company, Cagiva, reviving the Ducati brand in the 1980s, and later doing the same for Varese’s legendary MV Agusta.

In 2002, the marque unveiled the limited-production F4 750 Senna, some eight years after the Brazilian driver’s tragic death. Named for Instituto Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian children’s charity founded after Senna’s passing, the bike was Castiglioni’s tribute to his late friend. Upon the model’s debut, Castiglioni told the press, “Ayrton was a star in a league of his own, both as a man and as a pilot; a champion at the steering wheel and a lover of speed, but also a man who paid attention to every detail and who's constant aim was perfection. These qualities, along with a sense of great humility and sensitivity, drew me to him immediately.”

In 2006, MV Agusta launched a second-generation of their commemorative Senna series, this time based on the 174-horsepower, 998-cubic-centimeter F4 1000R. Both Senna series were limited to 300 units, and utilized the marque’s flagship superbike of the time, to which they added a bevy of exclusive cosmetic and mechanical touches. As one of the very few superbikes available which features a hemispherical chamber, four-valves-per-cylinder engine, along with extensive carbon fiber and cast alloy structures, all generations of the F4 have long been renowned for their outstanding performance, lightweight chassis, and evocative styling.

The F4 1000 Senna is a notch or two more extreme than the standard 1000R, and many times more exclusive. Black titanium nitride-treated, 50-millimeter upside-down Marzocchi front forks are complemented by an adjustable, ultra-lightweight Sachs rear suspension. The gold, four-pot, Brembo Racing “Serie Oro” front brake calipers were exclusive to this model, and the silver Marchesini wheels with Y-shaped spokes remain a fitting accent to the Senna’s exclusive metallic silver and gloss carbon fiber fairing.

One of only 65 examples delivered new to the US market, this F4 1000 Senna was sold new by a dealer in Connecticut in February 2006. It was acquired by the Dare to Dream Collection in May 2014, and since then has remained on static display within the consignor’s climate-controlled museum. Displaying only 2,839 miles at cataloguing and accompanied by owner’s manuals, it is a rare opportunity to buy an exclusive MV Agusta in excellent condition.