Amidst the scramble for electric power in the modern day and age, there remain those few hearty souls that prioritize design over power efficiency – regardless of emission compliance. They’re talented, stubborn buggers that do as they please…and bless them, we love an artist hell-bent on a pretty piece of work.
Today, we’re talking about the work of two men: Ash Thorp, a native San Diego local and one of the most talented vehicle designers and concept artists on the scene today; and Thorp’s best friend, CGi automotive artist and collaborator, Carlos (Colorsponge).
Together, the power duo have come up with a beautiful Ducati 916 chassis and engine, tricked out within an inch of its life. Christened The Xenotype, the bike was born from 2d sketches translated by Colorsponge to a tridimensional world, where the resultant photos have been circulating the good internet ever since.
YankoDesign states that the Xenotype used the Andreas Ezelius model (an airplane model with customized aerodynamic elements) as a base for inspiration – a common decision for the collaboration, seeing as this bike is the thirteenth bike in their M.H.C. Collection to have the Andreas Ezelius embedded in the design’s genetics.
Placed on top of the original Ducati engine and chassis are a set of edgy fairings reminiscent of the cyberpunk era (dare we say TRON-inspired?), with the design itself being, “a result of [Colorsponge’s] pure gut feel, and an expression of his subconscious in the rawest way possible.”
“When I started the early sketches,” admits Colorsponge on his social media platform, “I wanted in a way to transmit a similar vibe as the legendary Ford 90 back in the day – something odd and unconventional, no necessary beauty or organic [elements], just a simple exercise of crossing boundaries and letting my guts lead the way.”
Other features of the Xenotype include a wicked-slim LED headlight/taillight situation, Brembo disc brakes, a few very pretty carbon fiber elements, and a surprisingly high center of gravity.
We’ll make sure to let you know if the duo plan on putting this bike out into the real world anytime soon; in the meantime, make sure to check out these other cool custom projects from our archives – and as always, stay safe on the twisties.