Phil Schilling
In June 2012, Phil Schilling wrote an article titled Satisfied Mind telling the story of his passion for the 175 F3 Ducati. The following is a brief outline of the story which is well worth the read.
In May 1959 while at university Phil Schilling came across an article in Cycle magazine about a little Ducati race bike, the 175 F3. It described the bike as the ‘Ducati with the funny front brake’. This was a time before the internet and the only way to be informed about bikes was through various publications of which Cycle magazine was at the forefront. The bike inspired him to seek literature on the bike from the then Ducati importers, Berliner Motor Corporation. For Phil it was the epitome of a small capacity race bike. In 1969 he went with a friend to have a look at one of the F3s, minus an engine, that had come to the States and whilst he didn’t buy the bike, his friend did. They put a 250cc Ducati engine in the bike which didn’t really work and Phil managed to purchase the bike from his friend. He also found himself the owner of the missing engine which had been disassembled. By August 1970 the 175 was complete. In 1971 Phil became part of the Cycle magazine staff and stored the 175 F3 in the Cycle magazine garage which caught on fire and ‘destroyed’ the little F3. While a sensible person would have taken the insurance payout and bought another piece of Italian exotica, Phil decided to restore the bike, finishing his second restoration in March 1972. Phil Schilling was admitted to the American Motorcyclist Association Hall of Fame in 2011. He passed away in May, 2015. ■