Whenever Dirk Oehlerking builds another custom BMW boxer, it feels like his signature art deco style has reached its zenith. But then the next project rolls into the Kingston Custom workshop, and the German artisan flips the script again. Flitting between vintage boxers and the newer BMW R18, Dirk constantly pushes himself, and his imagination, to new and exciting heights.
Dirk hasn’t only worked on BMWs in his career, but he’s certainly become known as a boxer specialist. The Bavarian marque is close to his heart?so he built this custom BMW R18 to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Nicknamed ‘The Crown,’ it’s currently bending necks at the BMW Motorrad Days event in Berlin.

It’s a fascinating machine, laced with retro-futuristic, art deco, and aeronautical elements. Everything is inch-perfect?from the elegant hand-formed bodywork to the finishes. As usual, we’re scratching our heads trying to figure out how he built it. In a world where digital design is ubiquitous, Dirk’s process is refreshingly traditional. He started by stripping the R18 down to its frame, then he used shaping foam and sheets of cardboard to figure out the design. His goal was to create a machine that represents speed and power, but in an unorthodox way?and he nailed it.

With the R18’s silhouette defined, Dirk started fabricating the custom fuselage out of 2 mm thick aluminum sheeting. And the more you examine it, the more impressive it becomes.
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