There aren’t many quintessential motorcycle manufacturer like this Italian. They have had their own share of trumps and falls throughout their history, but now it seems like MV is enjoying a rare period of sustained growth. Turning motorcycles into a work of art has become a trait at MV, and this F4 has been their flagship for quite some time now.

But this year will be the last for this fabled superbike and MV is planning to phase it out with a bang. A limited “Claudio” edition F4 superbike will be launched towards the end of this year marking the final chapter of the sexiest superbike of our age. It will be cladded with carbon-fiber wheels and a host of other top-of-the-line pieces, as an honor to the late Claudio Castiglioni, father of Giovanni Castiglioni, president of MV Agusta.

Fret not, because there will a new F4 coming in a couple of years down the line packed with materials and technology seen unlike anywhere else. For now though, MV is shutting doors for the F4 considering multiple issues. Apart from the decline of superbike sales across the globe, MV had their share of financial problems that halted any R&D to develop and innovate their machines to their liking.

The Euro IV regulations kicking in added the salt to the wound forcing MV to phase out the F4 after this year, which is also when their emissions waiver terminates. All of this crippled any form of model revision for MV and their three-cylinder platform. Luckily though, the Italian marquee is now concentrating on working on new machines for 2019 including a new line of Brutales’. It will run on a 1000cc, four-cylinder engine similar in architecture to the 998cc on the mighty F4 superbike.

The reason MV Agusta is concentrating on the Brutale rather than the fully faired F4s’ is simple. The nakeds have been settling the bills and are the best-selling brand for MV. According to MV’s strategies for its future, it will release one new model each year, with the 2018 EICMA showcasing the 2019 four pot 1000cc Butale. The consecutive years will see a new ‘neo-retro’ Dragster RR and the resurrection of the F4 back as the ultimate superbike for the brand with a probability of a hybrid version even.

Until then, MV Agusta will leave us with a limited edition of their might F4 called the “Claudio Castiglioni” edition that will basically be a WorldSBK-spec race bike with lights and number plates. It will have its liquid cooled, fuel injected 998cc engine tweaked to give out a maximum power rating of 205+ hp and come with a special livery, carbon wheels, and the works.

“We will sell the F4 with a ‘last bike’ edition – it’s very, very limited. It’s basically Leon Camier’s bike for the street, and it’s a tribute to my dad, because that’s the bike he did,” said the president of MV, Giovanni Castiglioni.

The F4 “Claudio” edition will be launched in a few months from now. Expect it also to also have a limited edition price tag that reaches the stratosphere.