BMW R nineT Type 18

The Type 18 is an official collaboration between Auto Fabrica and BMW Motorrad. The R nineT served as the platform, and the brief was deliberately open: an avant-garde motorcycle that shows how far design can be pushed on this base. BMW Motorrad unveiled the Type 18 at the Wheels & Waves festival in Biarritz in June 2019. The idea draws on BMW's history in aircraft engineering and puts the boxer engine, which has defined the brand's motorcycles from the start, at the centre. To do so, Auto Fabrica combines classic aluminium coachbuilding with 3D printing. Tank and seat form an aluminium monocoque, and the front fairing, fenders and the covers over the cylinders are hand-formed from aluminium too. Headlight housing, fairing brackets and the small winglets on the fork come out of the 3D printer. Technically, the Type 18 is more than a show bike. The stainless steel exhaust is bent by hand, the boxer breathes through open air filters and has a new map. The Maxton suspension is fully adjustable, with SD25 cartridges up front and a GP10 shock at the rear built to Auto Fabrica's specification. The bike is painted in BMW Sapphire Black, the cylinder covers and winglets are matt silver and the seat is covered in Alcantara.