Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary celebration has featured some pretty interesting special-edition vehicles, highlighted by the three-off, ultra expensive Veveno supercar.
But the Italian automaker isn’t done with its celebration because they have another special-edition vehicle on the horizon, albeit one that only comes with two wheels and no engine.
In collaboration with Swiss bicycle brand BMC, Lamborghini is proud to present the BMC Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Edition Impec bicycle. And it retails at €25,000, which is about $32,000 based on current exchange rates.
There are two ways to look at this bicycle: it’s either one of the most expensive bicycles in the world, or it’s the cheapest new Lamborghini in the world.
Either way, the BMC Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Edition Impec is inspired by the Aventador and is based on BMC’s carbon-fiber-framed Impec bicycle. It also has a unique yellow finish to go with some Italian components and the same leather treatment used in the Italian supercar
If not for that astronomical price tag, we’d consider the BMC Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Edition Impec as a value purchase. BMC and Lambo are only building 50 units so you know that it lives by its special edition designation.
As is always the case when a brand like Gucci is part of a project, you know that there’s going to be a whole lot of piggy bank breaking.
The Italian style icon recently put that notion to the test once more with the introduction of its own bicycle that was built in collaboration with Bianchi. The bike, itself, was customized by no less than Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini. The material used on the bike, not surprisingly, is carbon fiber and it also comes with a custom leather seat, front and rear disc brakes, and just in case you forget the name attached to this bike, Gucci’s trademark red and green stripes on the frame and its very own logo on the seat.
Bianchi’s range of bicycles is topped out by a model that retails for $3,500. Sounds expensive? Not when you find out that this product of the Bianchi-Gucci collaboration retails for $14,000.
In the years that we’ve known AC Schnitzer, the German tuning company has released some pretty impressive tuning packages, most of which involve a steady diet of BMW vehicles. But like everyone else, we were a little bit caught by surprised when they decided to unveil their latest program. Oh, it’s a BMW, alright...except that it’s not the kind of BMW we expected.
This is the BMW M Carbon Racer, a specially-designed carbon fiber bicycle that only weights 6.9 kg, thanks to the work done on it by AC Schnitzer. In comparison, the standard Carbon Racer weighs 7.9 kg. The reduction of weight can be attributed to AC Schnitzer’s tuning capabilities, which included fitting the bicycle with a variety of carbon fiber components including the saddle and the saddle support that now comes with a carbon crank. The German tuner also replaced the wheels, opting for a new set of carbon wheels that the company co-developed with Xentis. As for the icing on the cake, AC Schnitzer dressed up the bike with it’s own paint finish and special livery. Taking a page from the car tuning playbook, right?
No word yet on how much the M Carbon Racer is going to cost with all the modifications given by AC Schnitzer. What we do know is that it’s going to cost quite a little more than the standard $3,579 price tag the standard bike goes for.
Audi chose the Woerthersee Tour to unveil one of the most impressive bikes we have ever seen. The Audi e-bike Woerthersee Concept is neither a pedelec nor a conventional bike, so it can be easily described as the bike of the future. It is made of carbon fiber ensuring a very low weight; the 26-inch wheels weigh just 1.32 lbs each and the frame just 3.53 lbs, while the entire bike weighs just 46.30 lbs.
An electric motor sends its power to the rear wheels and delivers a total of 3HP and 184.39 lb-ft of torque. The engine takes its power from a lithium-ion battery housed in the frame that can be recharged in two and a half hours.
The bike can be driven in three modes. In "Pure" mode, when the rider only propels the bike by means of the pedals, the bike can hit a top speed of 50 mph and has an autonomy between 31 and 44 miles. Then, there is the "eGrip" mode, which is when the electric motor is providing all the necessary power. In this version, you can hit a top speed of 31 mph. Finally, in "Wheelie" mode, the power flow is electronically controlled in order to assist the rider when the front wheel is in the air.
Next to this impressive electric system, the new e-bike has also been equipped with a nine-speed hydraulically actuated gear shift, LED Lights, and an on-boar computer located in the frame top tube and operated using a touchscreen.
We can only hope that this concept will become reality at some point!
There might come a day when shelling out over $20,000 on a ridiculous purchase might not be a big deal for us. Unfortunately, today isn’t one of those days. That’s why as much as we’re intrigued about it, we’re not about to spend €20,000 - $26,300! - on a bicycle.
In defense to this product, though, it’s no ordinary bicycle. It’s commissioned by Lamborghini and comes with plenty of carbon fiber components. It’s also fitted with low-profile performance tires and has tight gearing ratios. Plus, only 30 will be made by Italian manufacturer BMC, which makes it a limited quality item.
But...it’s still a bicycle.
Paying that much money for a bicycle isn’t exactly our definition of a sane purchase. Even more so when you consider that for that price, you can actually a buy a sports coupe like the Scion FR-S. Add on a few more thousands and you can score an entry-level Ford Mustang!
We have no doubts that there could very well be a market for a bike like this - limited as it may be. But take us out of that small population, because as much as we’re enamored by the way it looks, we’re not about to spend $25,000 on a bicycle.
