The seat height of 28.5-inches made the Elite easy to ride, although starting it could be a little tricky. The rider had to take care not to drown the plug, and it was advisable to stuff a rag into the inclined Dell'Orto carb overnight to prevent water ingress. Once warm, however, the engine ran smoothly and would tick over reliably.

The four-speed gearbox was considered to be 'first class, with positive, foolproof changes' although top gear was strictly for cruising. The bike wouldn't pull much below 40mph in top - but acceleration in second and third was 'pretty brisk'.

The Elite usually wore two stacked silencers on its right side - the touring model offshoots were more commonly fitted with single silencer. All suffered somewhat from patchy chrome finish, which meant that rust tended to show through after just a couple of outings in the rain.

Laurie Richardson originally owned an Elite in the 1960s and knew that he would have another, one day. He bought his 1965 example in 1978 for just £100, without even setting eyes on it. He certainly didn't need to take it for a test ride - the Ducati came in three tea-chests… not that he was discouraged.

'I just wanted it!' said Laurie.

Absolutely everything on the Elite had to be refurbished, and Laurie did the majority of the work himself using spares from the Italian Vintage Company and AJ Calladine in Newark for the metalwork. Only the paintwork and chroming were handled by professionals; all the fastners, for example, are stainless steel and were home-made.

Since its rebuild, Laurie has used the Elite for local rides and this year it won its class in the Sleaford Historic Car and Motorcycle Show, where it has taken runner-up prizes before.