Student Creates A Monomonstro

STUDENT CREATES A MONOMONSTRO

IT’S THE DREAM OF EVERY aspiring designer to see their work adopted by a major manufacturer, either as a broad concept or in fine detail.

But design is increasingly viewed as a fundamental aspect of manufacturing and engineering, making it harder for a designer to break into the field without expertise in these other areas.

Sam Matthews, 22, may be an exception. A transport-design student at England’s Coventry University, Matthews created his MonoMonstro as a design project. He chose a rare, expensive motorcycle as his inspiration, but he built the one-fifth-scale model with an eye toward facilitating cost-effective volume production.

“The first time 1 sawa picture of the Ducati Supermono,

1 was in awe,” says Matthews. “1 knew that I’d have to use that engine as the basis of my first design, without sacrificing the essential Ducati spirit.”

Matthews’ creation has an M900-based look, but the designer added several of his own touches. There’s space under the seat for a U-lock, the storage area above the engine can hold a helmet, and overlapping gauges are carried in the tank shroud.

Cagiva Group’s design gurus are said to be interested in meeting Matthews and looking at his design. Given Singles’ popularity in Europe, it is not far-fetched to think some of Matthews’ ideas could show up on a production motorcycle. After all, Pierluigi Marconi created what became the Bimota Tesi as a university design thesis. Alan Cathcart