Aston Martin->ke13, the British luxury carmaker tipped as the "coolest brand in the world" of automotive, has announced plans to turn itself into a freak motorcycle manufacturer at the ongoing EICMA, Milan 2019. Partnering in with another legendary British manufacturer, Brough Superior->ke4824 (currently based in France though), Aston brings in a limited edition, track-only, 180 hp hyperbike - the AMB 001. It couldn’t get any more James-Bond-ish.

Taking on extremely rich finery, this $120,000 machine showcases the best of British motoring. An amalgam of a futuristic, nearly anime-inspired aesthetics of Astons’ as we know, and the engineering prowess of Brough Superior, who once used to make the most expensive road-going motorcycles in the world last century.

After giving the world the howling Valkyrie->ke5679 hypercar and the industry forced DBX->ke2849 SUV, the makers of the iconic DB9->ke210 and Vantage is going on a all-bonkers mode to create a global luxury brand. It is increasingly branching out into projects including speed boats, bicycles, clothing, and real estate development, even submarines, and aircraft, mostly on a licensing basis. I know what you are thinking. Companies like Honda->ke291, BMW->ke1398, Suzuki->ke371, and Peugeot ->ke2271 are already making both cars and motorcycles. They have successfully managed both the shows and have created a league on both sides of the world.

But what Aston is bringing onto the stage here is not quite the same. This is one for the history books.

Taking cues from Aston’s very own mid-engined supercars, the Aston Martin Design team has once again displayed a deliberate yet conscious level of elegance, unlike anything seen on a racing machine. A curvaceous body form gets beautifully accented by a carbon-fiber fin that runs along the length of the motorcycle, a design element derived from the side strake on Aston Martin cars.

What’s also taken up from their mad-dog, the Valkyrie, is the same super-lightweight nine-micron stainless steel wings that sit under the lacquer of the bodywork on the nose and the tank. It gives the AMB 001 an improved aerodynamic advantage to fall in line with the track-inspired pedigree. Included in the lacquered layer is the laser cut Aston Martin Wings logos that is derived from the AMR series of supercars.

Clad in the traditional Aston Martin Racing colors: Stirling Green and Lime Essence, the AMB 001 also features Matte Black wheels, forks, and brake assemblies. The rider will be made to sit on a hand-stitched leather saddle that uses the same materials that adorn the luxury car interiors. The AMB 001 gets the Oxford-Tan saddle, and so does the matching handlebar grips.

Following Kawasaki’s H2 superbikes, Aston makes justice to the AMB001 by giving it a turbocharged 997-cc V-twin engine prancing with 180 horses. Scaling at 390 lbs, this track-focused superbike boasts of a power-to-weight ratio of 1, thanks to the carbon-fiber body, titanium, and billet aluminum components running all around this machine. Some of the carbon-fiber body parts also double up as structural elements, allowing further weight reduction.

The turbo equipped on the AMB 001 is a low-inertia turbine blowing through an intercooler, making it void of any turbo-lag. The liquid-cooled mill comes with an extractible 6-speed gearbox, an APTC Clutch, and final drive by a short Morse chain and a gear train, a compact conception for precision and reliability. The engine covers are constructed with aeronautical grade alloy, while the exhaust manifold is made from Inconel, a superalloy having favored thermal and mechanical properties.

Honing all that power and being lightweight was a challenge taken on with gratification. The engineers at Brough Superior have followed their sharp instincts and engineering prowess to combine stiffness with lightness. Making the V-twin a fully load-bearing component, is it bolted onto a solid backbone chassis milled on a CNC machine, so is the rear swing-arm. The carbon-fiber rear sub-frame is a structural element of the AMB 001.

The matte black wheels have been forged from aluminum with an exclusive AMB 001 design. The same metal is also used to machine the double-wishbone Fior fork at the front. This suspension system dissociates steering and braking functions to negate the bike from diving under braking conditions. The rear suspension gets a progressive damper system with rockers. The braking system on this machine has been developed by a racing brake specialist who’s given the radial master cylinder piston a ball-bearing action for a strong bite with less effort.

The AMB 001 is going to be a limited affair with only 100 units to have been commissioned to build and hand-assembled at the Brough Superior factory in Toulouse, France. Each of these machines will come with an eye-watering price tag of $120,000, and the first deliveries are set to begin by the end of 2020.

Harping the same, Aston Martin Executive VP and CEO, Marek Reichman said: “This is what we believe a cutting-edge motorcycle should be and we are very proud to see the Aston Martin wings on a motorcycle for the first time.” Adding to that, he describes the AMB 001 as “a truly beautiful motorcycle; a design and engineering work of art.”

So much for a motorcycle that runs along carrying the DNA of the multi-million dollar, mind-boggling hypercar, the Valkyrie, and the Aston Martin Racing supercars.