The first production Aprilia Futura?

In August 2010 this brand new Aprilia Futura appeared for sale on e-bay UK, with an asking price of £4,750. But this wasn’t any Futura – it was the first one ever to roll off the production line.

The bike was as new and un-registered, and had never even started. It’s not clear what happened to it, but bidding petered out at £2,727 and it failed to sell. However, it appears that the bike found a buyer privately after the auction ended.

The e-bay seller was a collector of vehicles and had bought the bike as part of a job lot from a London dealer. He stored it for five years in his heated garage and the bike must have had similar treatment for the first five years of its life.

As proof the seller offered the bike’s frame number: ZD4PWD0021S000001. The last six digits are the ones unique to each bike.

It also came with full documentation – owner’s manual, Aprilia 1 year warranty (not sure if that would apply any more) and a Type Approval certificate, as well as full dealer instructions for preparing the bike for the road. Since the bike had never been started or even hooked up to a battery it also came with a battery acid pack!

Also of note was the fact that the bike isn’t a UK model, but a US one, possibly California spec, judging from the position of the warning stickers on the left frame rail and the tank. The reflectors on the sides of the mudguard and number plate mount are also a giveaway for a US model.

Have a look at the pictures below to see this beast.