Aprilia cancels Blue Marlin

WE all loved Aprilia’s café Racer Blue Marlin when it was shown last year… but the Italian firm has binned plans to put it into production.

Aprilia’s engineers have been forced to give up their uphill battle to make the machine into a runner.

According to Aprilia insiders, the biggest problem was the Marlin’s tiny proportions – themselves the key to its stunning looks. While the engine was taken directly from the RSV, and as such should have made 130bhp, it proved impossible to fit a decent-sized airbox under the Blue Marlin’s slimline fuel tank. And without the big airbox of the RSV, the engine’s performance dropped massively – giving the Blue Marlin just 80bhp, a figure considered far too low for a production version of the bike.

But Aprilia are planning two other new bikes for next year. For full details and pictures see next week’s MCN – on sale December 18.

Are you disappointed by the news? Let us know by posting your thoughts on our News board by following the link on the right.