At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, it takes something genuinely different to steal attention from multi-million-dollar hypercars clawing their way up the hill, and some German friends of ours knew exactly how. Diamond Atelier has never been interested in following convention, but with the DA#22 the Munich workshop has produced its boldest machine yet. Dubbed the world’s first Hyperbike, the road-legal prototype is less an evolution of the custom motorcycle than a complete rethink of what happens when coachbuilding, advanced manufacturing and superbike performance are treated as equal partners from the very first sketch.
Diamond Atelier’s builds have always carried their own identity, but this project starts somewhere entirely different. Internally known as ULTRON before becoming DA#22, the motorcycle isn’t built around a styling trend or a donor bike wearing expensive parts. Instead, the design team developed its own surface language first, using radically shortened proportions, concealed electronics and a cockpit hidden beneath integrated glass to create a silhouette unlike anything currently rolling out of a factory. The result is a machine where the bodywork doesn’t simply cover the mechanical package; it dictates the entire architecture.
That philosophy becomes obvious the moment you begin tracing the lines. Rather than exposing every mechanical component in the manner of a naked bike, the aluminium body forms a continuous shell around the motorcycle, with deeply sculpted flanks drawing your eye towards the front axle. The conventional visual hierarchy has been turned on its head. The tank disappears into the body, the radiator shrouds become the dominant feature, and the impossibly short tail appears to hover above the rear wheel. Even standing still, the bike has the compressed stance of something built to attack rather than cruise.
Turning those digital forms into metal required a craftsman rather than simply another fabricator. Diamond Atelier handed that responsibility to Marvin Diehl of KRT Framework, who painstakingly shaped each aluminium panel by hand. Complex double-curved surfaces, razor-sharp transitions and flowing radii are notoriously difficult to achieve without distortion, particularly at motorcycle scale where every millimetre is exposed. The finished product feels closer to traditional automotive coachbuilding than custom motorcycle fabrication, and that’s no accident. Aluminium serves as the proving ground before future production examples make the jump to full carbon-fibre construction.
Then there’s the finish. Instead of relying on hidden LEDs or illuminated inserts, the DA#22 uses a voltage-activated electroluminescent paint system developed specifically for the prototype by Alex Bloch of Stilbruch Lack. When energised, the paint itself becomes the light source, emitting an intense red glow from within the surface rather than reflecting external illumination. Diamond Atelier confirms only a single litre of this exact formulation was ever produced, with the entire batch consumed on this one motorcycle, ensuring the prototype can never be replicated in identical form.
Hidden beneath that dramatic skin is proven Austrian muscle. The platform centres on KTM’s LC8 V-twin, producing more than 205 horsepower in its current state of development, while the chassis receives equal attention through a Wilbers TYPE 46 RR front fork derived from World Superbike technology and a bespoke rear shock built exclusively for the project. Rather than chasing peak numbers for their own sake, every major mechanical component has been selected to package within the remarkably compact bodywork without compromising either serviceability or outright performance.
Where the DA#22 really separates itself is in the detail work. Aconity3D contributes additive-manufactured titanium components, including the exhaust system and a stunning 3D-printed titanium upper triple clamp that anchors the cockpit. Embedded at its centre sits an actual diamond mounted in sterling silver, a subtle nod to the company’s name rather than an exercise in excess. DKB Special Parts supplies beautifully machined Formula One-inspired switchgear and an illuminated clutch cover with a glass inspection window, while Gilles Tooling handles the controls and rearsets. Even the front tyre receives individual attention, with 4JET machining a one-off diamond-pattern tread that turns the rubber itself into another design element.
Perhaps the most impressive achievement is that none of those features dominates the motorcycle. The titanium parts, illuminated paint, hidden electronics and additive manufacturing all serve the same objective: preserving the integrity of the design. Modern motorcycles often become visually cluttered by packaging requirements, cooling systems and electronics. Here, extensive 3D scanning and digital engineering have allowed Diamond Atelier to hide complexity beneath remarkably clean surfaces, creating a motorcycle that appears almost impossibly simple until you begin studying the finer details.
Whether “Hyperbike” ultimately becomes an accepted category is for riders to decide, not marketers. But all the ingredients are here. What can’t be disputed is the ambition behind the DA#22. Diamond Atelier hasn’t simply customised an existing motorcycle or produced another limited-run special. They’ve used their incredible eye for design, years of experience and forever bold attitude to build a fully functioning prototype that feels genuinely new, fresh and exciting. In an era when true surprises are becoming increasingly rare, and regulation breeds bland conformity, that’s an achievement worthy of celebration. And what better place than the Goodwood Festival of Speed to introduce the Hyperbike DA#22 to the world.
[ Diamond Atelier ]