In the world of collectables, provenance is everything, and this custom carbon-fibre creation has it in spades. Built for none other than F1 ace Charles Leclerc during his breakout year with Scuderia Ferrari, it’s a one-off Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 that blends race-bred performance with stripped-back French style. After spotting Paris-based Bad Winners on Instagram, Leclerc commissioned the ultra-lightweight build with extra power to match. Now, with all the paperwork to back its Formula One pedigree, it’s been refreshed and is headed to auction, and this time, the highest bidder takes the chequered flag.
When Charles joined the Ferrari team in 2019, he partnered up with four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, another motorcycle junkie who owns two Marcus Walz-built customs. There is a long history of F1 drivers having an addiction to two wheels. Lewis Hamilton is a regular collaborator with MV Agusta, Kimi Räikkönen also owns two Walz-built customs, and Fernando Alonso has a serious Honda RCV213 as his track bike. Schumacher and Senna famously loved bikes, and Mighty Max has a hulking Harley.
So, it should have come as no surprise to Bad Winners founder Walid that one day an F1 driver might get in contact, but when Clarles slid into his DMs on Instagram, he thought it had to be a scam! Charles told me, “Hello, I’ve been following you for a while, and I really like your motorcycles. Would it be possible to make me one?” I replied, really surprised and not quite convinced that it really was Charles Leclerc: “Cool, here is my number, give me a call.” Charles called me; it really was him. He told me that his favourite bike was “The Apex”, the FZS600 that I produced a few years ago.”
All aboard, and the build kicked off with a sketch and a simple thumbs-up. Just days after drawing the first lines of the concept, Charles Leclerc gave it the green light with a quick: “Ok, let’s do this.” From there, it was game on, and the first major hurdle was something most custom builders dread: the electronics. The goal? Replace the stock speedo and handlebar controls without slicing into the factory wiring, a tall order on a tech-heavy machine like the modern Husqvarna Vitpilen 701.
To pull it off, the team at Bad Winners developed their own motherboard to interface seamlessly with the stock ECU, no spliced wires, no warning lights, no compromise. The new setup supports aftermarket push button controls while retaining every factory function, including ABS, traction control, and all dynamic vehicle data. The pièce de résistance? A custom-designed speedo, now neatly integrated into the upper triple clamp, created with the help of 3D modelling and rapid prototyping.
Once the brains were sorted, the body followed. Every part of the Vitpilen’s trim was either modelled in CAD or sculpted using 3D-printed masters before hitting the carbon moulds. Leclerc wanted everything ultra-light, so Bad Winners went full carbon. All of the carbon components were handcrafted in-house, matched by a bespoke rear frame made from tube steel and laser-cut sheet, finished with a CNC-milled red plexiglass taillight and a compact Antigravity battery tucked underneath.
It all makes the Vitpilen look like it’s going a million miles an hour while it’s standing still. But to actually up the performance, the emission system was binned, the catalytic converter dropped via a custom stainless fitting, and an SC-Project CR-T Carbon muffler was added for bite. The power delivery was dialled in using a Power Commander V, ensuring everything runs as good as it looks, and allowed the team to tune the engine for the much more free-flowing exhaust system, which results in a jump to 85hp.
Being the F1 ace that he is, Charles knows the benefit of reducing unsprung mass as much as possible, and Bad Winners had worked with Dymag in the past. Known for their track spec mag style wheels, the team came up with a stunning set of carbon fibre items, and the boys wrapped them up in super sticky Pirelli tyres.
On the scales, the bike weighs just 130kg, the perfect machine for throwing around the hills of Leclerc’s home of Monaco. But garage space is a premium in the rich city state, so the bike is for sale, with all of the original paperwork, including the registration in Charles’ name. To bid, click here, and this F1-owned carbon collectable could be yours.
