Diamond Atelier’s latest creations are out-of-the-box custom café racers

In what is a logical move to satisfy the great international demand for its fabulous custom motorcycles, Diamond Atelier is now offering a three-stage upgrade for the BMW R-series, providing a more accessible entry point to the German brand’s signature low-slung café racers…

Your new best friend

Thoughtfully designed in collaboration with BMW Motorcycles’ own Julian Weber, the Mark II Series from Diamond Atelier is the minimalist bike lover’s new best friend. Offered in three stages of specification, ranging from 20,990 to 27,990 euros, the bikes begin life as either 800cc or 1,000cc BMW 2-Valve Monolevers. As you can see, the changes are extensive yet considered, both cosmetically and mechanically. The quadruplet pictured shows the breadth of the modifications, from the aggressive short-tail body (painted in a plethora of wonderfully retro shades) and the powder-coated wheels to the Supersport ‘Upside-Down’ forks and the CNC-machined triple clamps. Availability is based on a first-come, first-served basis, so add your name to the waiting list before the mono-headlight humdinger starts haunting your dreams. 

Photos: Diamond Atelier

You can find a broad selection of classic and modern motorcycles listed for sale in the Classic Driver Market. 

via classicdriver.com

WSBK ; Rea: "We’ll try to put celebrations on ice until the end of the season"

The champion faces the final two rounds of the season with several milestones in his sights

Ten days ago, at Magny-Cours Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was crowned the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion, becoming a four-time champion and taking his seventh and eighth consecutive race wins in the process. But the season is far from over and the Northern Irishman is not one to put his feet up and call it a day – a new adventure awaits in Argentina.

The Kawasaki rider is in perhaps the best form of his career, and in a season where he has already shattered several WorldSBK records there are other milestones in his sights, the first of which he could take at the Circuit San Juan Villicum.

With eight consecutive victories, Rea is currently on the best unbeaten streak in WorldSBK since Troy Bayliss in 2006. The all-time record, held by Colin Edwards (2002) and Neil Hodgson (2003), is set at nine – a figure Rea could match in Race One and even beat with a double in Argentina.

Furthermore, a good performance in San Juan could edge the champion towards two more records: the most wins in one season and the highest number of points. The first was set at 17 by Doug Polen in 1991 – Rea is currently on 14 with four races remaining – whilst the latter is already in the KRT rider’s possession since last year when he managed 556 points, 86 more than he holds at the minute.

Rea will be taking it step by step however, as he also enters this round not knowing what to expect from the new circuit: “I am really excited; firstly to go to a new track and to visit South America for the first time. It is great for the championship and also really nice to visit a new country with WorldSBK. Of course, since Magny Cours I have not had much time to digest winning the championship, but I am extremely happy and proud of our efforts to date this season. But the season is not over, and we are going to attack this race weekend like any other. We will try to put celebrations on ice until the end of the season. We won’t have too much set-up data this weekend, so we will start FP1 with a blank sheet of paper. Fortunately, our Ninja ZX-10RR has a great base setting so it is up to me to learn the track fast, and hopefully enjoy it. I am looking forward to meeting all the Argentinian fans”.

Catch all the action from the brand-new South American circuit thanks to WorldSBK VideoPass.

The Porsche 924 DP Cargo is a weird fibreglass dream

Few cars divide opinion like coach-built shooting brakes, but we reckon that’s the key to their appeal. Pre-dating the Panamera by some 20 years, this striking Porsche 924 shooting brake was built by DP Motorsports, a tuning specialist with a Le Mans victory under its belt. Still on the fence?

A debate’s been raging at Classic Driver headquarters this morning – one that threatens to put lunch on hold and spill over well into the afternoon. And it’s all because of this car, the Porsche 924 DP Cargo. Is it an ultra-cool sports wagon that exudes everything that’s great about the ‘shooting brake’, or rather another tuning house’s failed attempt to make a major manufacturer question why it never had the idea in the first place? 

Believed to be one of just nine in existence, the striking car was built by DP Motorsport, the German Porsche tuning specialist founded by Ekkehard Zimmerman in 1973. It’s fair to say Zimmerman knows a thing or two about automotive design – among numerous other feats, he was responsible for the design and fabrication of the monstrous Kremer Racing 935 K3 that dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979. 

A wizard in the craft of fibreglass, Zimmerman’s focus soon turned to improving Porsche’s range of road cars and, inevitably, the unloved transaxle 924, 944, and 928 models received extra special attention. Forever in the shadow of the 911, the transaxle Porsches were missing something. But what? 

Practicality and punch, DP Motorsport determined, before heading to the drawing board. These were the days before the Cayenne and the Panamera, remember, and for the well-heeled enthusiast with a family – and everything that comes with it – to ferry around, a two-seater sports car with a sloping roof and tiny boot just wasn’t going to cut it. 

The solution was simple. Zimmerman and his band of merry men in Cologne would upgrade the 924’s humble engine to Turbo specifications and graft on the rear roof section of a Volkswagen Passat destined for the scrapheap, thus transforming the car into what us Brits would call an estate, complete with a flat roof for skis and the like and a vast space for children, pets, or groceries (or all three). Which teenager wants to be shipped off to university in a Volvo, after all?

Unsurprisingly, it’s the aesthetics of the 924 DP Cargo’s rear end that are proving most divisive here at Classic Driver. In fact, it’s been likened to everything from a Reliant Scimitar (bad) to a BMW Z3 M Coupé (good). Personally, I think it works. Replacing the 924’s scrawny front bumper with that of the 944 does well to balance the overall design and the slick and impressive massaging of the rear hatch will have no one uttering the words ‘Volkswagen’ and ‘Passat’ to you in the supermarket car park. 

I also love this particular car’s sporty touches, such as the NACA duct in the bonnet, aerodynamic mirrors, Fuchs wheels, and huge antisocial exhaust pipe – all nods to the proven race pedigree of its creators. 

Sure, it’s not going to be to everybody’s tastes. But the same can probably be said of every coach-built shooting brake, from the Ferrari Daytona to the Aston Martin Virage. If anything, their divisiveness is sort of the core of their appeal. Here is a rare and practical sports car beautifully coach-built by a company with Le Mans-winning credentials and with a Porsche badge on the bonnet. What’s more, if you can find one that’s for sale (the Porsche Centre Gelderland is holding on tight to this one), it’ll be a hell of a lot cheaper than an Audi RS2, and not a great deal less thrilling to drive. 

Photos: Rémi Dargegen for Classic Driver © 2018 

You can find a broad selection of conventionally styled Porsche 924s listed for sale in the Classic Driver Market. 

via /www.classicdriver.com

#RoyalEnfieldTwins

Introducing the heritage-inspired Royal Enfield Interceptor INT 650 Twin and Continental GT 650 Twin, with an all new parallel twin engine. #PickYourPlay.