The Rare Lamborghini Design 90 Motorcycle

Lamborghini’s 1980s Design 90 motorcycle, built with a Kawasaki engine and French craftsmanship, is a rare collector’s item with only five surviving examples.

Subscribe to our Instagram Channel for instant news & updates!

When we hear Lamborghini, supercars like the Countach or Aventador usually come to mind but in the 1980s, the brand ventured into two wheels with the Lamborghini Design 90. Born during a turbulent period for the company, this motorcycle is a fascinating mix of Italian ambition and French craftsmanship.

After the Mimran brothers took control following founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s ousting, the brand pursued a variety of projects, from V12 engines for speedboats to the rugged LM002 SUV and even a motorcycle. For the Design 90, Patrick Mimran turned to French boutique builder Boxer Design to bring the bike to life around 1986.

The result was extraordinary. The Design 90 used a 1000cc Kawasaki inline-four engine producing around 130 horsepower, paired with a hand-built aluminum frame, lightweight fuel tank, and premium components, including top-tier brakes, suspension, and electronics. Its fully enclosed fiberglass body gave it a futuristic look that was bold and radical for its time.

Originally, Lamborghini and Boxer planned to build 25 units, but high costs and the bike’s unconventional design limited production to just six. Today, five remain, and one even appeared at a UK auction, proving that the Design 90 has become a rare collector’s gem.

The Lamborghini Design 90 may have failed to find buyers in the 1980s, but decades later, it stands as a testament to Lamborghini’s fearless experimentation and the era when anything seemed possible, even a “Countach on two wheels.”