The Lamborghini Design 90 was a rare 1986 motorcycle that combined the Lamborghini name with French design work and Kawasaki-derived mechanicals. Secondary sources disagree on how many were built, and the often-repeated claim that “nobody wanted” it is stronger than the available evidence: a high reported price and tiny production suggest a difficult commercial proposition, but surviving sources do not establish why sales were low.
What was the Lamborghini Design 90?
The Design 90 was a limited-production superbike developed with French workshop Boxer Bikes, later known as Boxer Design. Motoplanete says designer Claude Fior contributed to part of its design. It was not an in-house Lamborghini motorcycle in the sense of being developed solely by the carmaker: the account describes French development paired with a heavily modified Kawasaki chassis and engine. Motoplanete’s Design 90 profile is secondary reporting rather than an official Lamborghini history.
The name and badge made the motorcycle unusual, but the available account does not establish that Lamborghini had a broader motorcycle program or explain the company’s precise role in the project. Nor does it identify a specific Kawasaki donor model, so the engine and chassis should not be described as belonging to a particular Kawasaki or assumed to accept its parts.
What are the reported specifications?
Motoplanete lists the Design 90 with a 997 cc inline-four rated at 130 ch, or 128.20 hp. That figure is not settled: the same profile notes that some sources give 120 horsepower. Treat 130 ch as a reported specification, not a confirmed factory rating.
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| Specification | Motoplanete’s reported figure |
|---|---|
| Engine | 997 cc, liquid-cooled inline-four |
| Induction and valve gear | Four carburetors; double overhead camshafts; four valves per cylinder |
| Power | 130 ch (128.20 hp); the profile notes some sources report 120 hp |
| Transmission and final drive | Six-speed manual; chain |
| Dry weight | 180 kg |
| Maximum speed | 258 km/h |
These are figures from a secondary-source profile, not independently verified factory specifications or results from a comparative test. The power discrepancy is a particular reason to avoid treating the table as a definitive technical record.
How many Design 90s were made?
The production count is uncertain. Motoplanete says fewer than ten were built; InMoto reports six built, with five surviving. Those figures are compatible in broad terms but are not the same claim, and the available accounts do not provide primary production records to settle the count. InMoto’s report is the source for the six-built, five-surviving figure.
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A 1986 Design 90 appears in a Classic Driver Market listing, evidence of collector-market interest in an example, not an official production or technical record.
Why is it described as a superbike nobody wanted?
Motoplanete reports a period price of $13,500 and presents that expense as one factor in the motorcycle’s commercial failure. The high reported price alongside production in single digits makes the “nobody wanted” label understandable as shorthand for a very limited market. But no primary sales records or firsthand account in the available sources confirms that price alone caused the project’s outcome, or that there were literally no willing buyers.
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The broader period context helps explain the kind of market the Design 90 entered, without proving how it performed against rivals. Ducati’s official heritage history describes the 1980s as an era when supersport racing motorcycles helped establish motorcycles as sport equipment. Bimota’s heritage account offers another example of specialist engineering: it identifies the DB1 as its first Ducati-powered model in 1985 and the aluminium twin-spar YB4 in 1986. Neither source indicates a connection to the Design 90, and the available material does not support a direct performance comparison.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What makes the Design 90 notable now?
Its interest lies in the unusual combination of identities: a Lamborghini-branded motorcycle, French workshop involvement, and Kawasaki-derived mechanicals, all in a model reportedly produced in very small numbers. The mixed production estimates, unresolved horsepower discrepancy, and lack of a named donor model also set limits on what can be stated confidently. It is best understood as a rare, specialist 1980s superbike with an intriguing badge and an incomplete historical record—not as a fully documented factory project whose sales story is settled.
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Sources
- Motoplanete: Lamborghini 1000 Design 90 (1986)
- InMoto: Lamborghini Design 90 report
- Classic Driver Market: 1986 Design 90 listing
- Ducati heritage
- Bimota heritage
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