Tom,
Could be the same bike, statistically, but difficult to know for sure without the frame number.
This model was originally called 851 SP, in 1989, but with the addition of subsequent SP models (2, 3, 4, 5) from 1990 through to 1993, I guess people may have started calling it SP1. My understanding is that it’s a 851 bike with a 851 motor. So the listings have hit thus wrong…The auctioned SP shows a « 851S3 » frame number, where my 851SP2 has « 888S ». Some called the 1989 SP the « super Strada », as this is what it really was: an upgrade from the Strada. The SP2 is a very different bike altogether, with a 888cc motor, closer to a street legal version of the racer used by Raymond Roche to win the title in 1989. The motor is not just stroked, but has different (hotter) cams, twin injectors, dual pick ups, etc.
That SP sold very well for $26.000 ! 😎 Not bad at all considering this generation of bikes doesn’t really appeal to the masses, unlike the 916 series. In France, 851/888 Stradas struggle to sell for more than 10.000€. I personally think these are highly undervalued, given the ride quality they deliver. But their aesthetics are an acquired taste, a little like the 999 series…
Very low mileage SP examples will always attract collectors, though, especially in the US.
