Turkish independent designer Mehmet Doruk Erdem presents the BMW Titan, just one of seven Beemer bike concepts designed for the Bonneville Salt Flat speed week. Oh, and he’s also got a hankering for Alfa Romeo and Mercedes too…
[Not a valid template]Wait, whoa, hang on. Before you get too excited, this is not an official BMW Motorrad concept. It is, however, an awesome as balls creation from Turkish independent designer Mehmet Doruk Erdem, dubbed The Titan. It’s also not the first Beemer concept from the Istanbul native.
Indeed, Mehmet’s portfolio includes no fewer than seven BMW Motorrad concepts, each of which has been designed with super slick aerodynamic capabilities for use at the Bonneville Salt Flats (we can only imagine what the world’s fastest man – Wing Commander Andy Green – would make of that). Inspiration for the Titan itself comes from a Great White Shark, Mehmet hoping to mirror the manner in which the world’s favourite movie monster scythes effortlessly through the water. As a result, the Titan aerodynamic design is pretty radical: just picture what would happen if the Sulaco from Aliens met a Tron light cycle…
The front wheel is completed shrouded in a one-piece carbon canopy, which fully encloses the engine for minimal drag at Bonneville levels of speed. Said engine, given the focus on speed, speed and a bit more speed, is speculated to be the 1649cc boxer six-cylinder from a K1600 tourer, though the eagle-eyed amongst you could probably help us out with that. On top lies a self-enclosed dashboard control panel and, naturally, no wing mirrors. At the back of the BMW Titan is a truly enormous racing slick for maximum traction, plus the innovative enclosure of the driveshaft inside the left assembly of the suspension swing arm. The spring and shock absorbers meanwhile are housed in the right swing arm. Production plans? Yeah, don’t bank on it.
[Not a valid template]So yes, the Titan looks immense, but BMW is far from the only manufacturer Mehmet Doruk Erdem has drawn inspiration from (the ‘Radical’, the ‘Nemesis’, and the ‘Orion Streamliner’ are also pictured above). His Alfa Romeo ‘Spirito’ for instance, similarly deigned for top end grunt, boasts more rounded bodywork akin to the legendary Spider or Zagato-built Giulietta SZ. Once again the front wheel is encased, though transparent bodywork at the rear highlights the 8C-esque alloy design and the suspension geometry within. At the front lies Alfa’s traditional triangular front grille, plus chromed detailing and Irish clover leaf akin to the brand new Giulia. The Mercedes ‘Eternity’ meanwhile takes a slightly more aggressive route, with bodywork shrouding both wheels, the bodylines proving considerably sharper, and the side-mounted exhausts and grooved air inlets down the flanks highlighting the presumably twin-turbocharged AMG powerplant residing within. Oh, and it’s got a shark fin. NOBODY criticises the shark fin…
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*Images courtesy of Mehmet Doruk Erdem at Behance.net
