I spotted this special edition Paul Smart Ducati chilling in front of world-renowned ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, here in Portland, one rainy afternoon. I can picture it now…the super cool, hot shot creative director rolling up to the curb with this retrograde racer, simultaneously impressing all the young ladies and pissing off all the young men. Hey, if Dr. House can do it, with a bum leg no less, then so can this guy.

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While Smart certainly wasn’t the first automotive brand to usher in a sense vehicle personalization, it was definitely among the first to offer people the ability to customize their rides from the factory thanks to innovations like removable body panels. Ducati even took a page from their play book when they started offering similar packages for their bread and butter Monster line of bikes. Well, the German microcar manufacturer is at it again, this time offering fortwo shoppers/owners the ability to color match paint chips (eat your heart out Porsche) and or decorate Fortwos with a host of colorful vehicle wraps. They call the whole thing the Smart Expressions program and it starts at $1,550 for the custom paint and $1,350 for a wrap. Take your pick at the Smart USA website.

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Ducati has added depth, personalization and nostalgia to their classic Monster line up with the new mid-range 796 (804cc engine) and ten bolt-on color options that include three solids and seven historical liveries. The move toward personalization includes tank panels, micro bikini faring, single seat cover and front mudguard. Ducati says you can swap out these body panels in as little as 10 minutes and is offering a free kit of to anyone who buys a new Monster 1100 or 1100S before June 30th. Think of them as the motorcycle equivalent to interchangeable body panels on a Smart car.

Photos: Ducati (used with Permission)

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Just days before Harley announced the shuttering of its Buell sport bike brand, the top brass from Milwaukee was in Manhattan showing off their 2010 models to socialites who will probably never buy one. The launch party took place at Ainsworth, a hip new joint that Urban Daddy calls “the harmonious marriage of a gastropub and the sportsbook at Caesars”. The guy guy venue, with its plethora of sports-playing plasmas and use of wrought iron and wood, was the perfect venue for a brand that was popularized by outlaws.

Considering Harley’s poor 3Q showing and the bath they are about to take on closing down Buell and unloading MV Augusta, the Ducati-fighting brand they purchased for $109 million just 16 short months ago, dealers appear to have their work cut out for them. Good thing there is cool new product, like the Fatboy Lo and CVO Fat Bob, available in even cooler paint schemes like Black Denim and Vivid Black.

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