RMB01: A PRECISION-ENGINEERED TRIBUTE TO EARLY MOTORCYCLE RACING
The RMB01 is a track-only motorcycle born from an 18-month collaboration between Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille and legendary British manufacturer Brough Superior, limited to 150 hand-assembled units and priced at 200,000 euros excluding VAT. Inspired by the board track racers of the early 20th century, the RMB01 applies the same obsessive material engineering that goes into a Richard Mille chronograph to a 997cc twin-cylinder engine producing 130 horsepower.
What Is the RMB01?
The RMB01 is the first motorcycle to bear the Richard Mille name, developed in collaboration with Brough Superior, the British marque historically associated with some of the most exclusive motorcycles ever built. The collaboration drew on 18 months of development and 12 design iterations before arriving at a final form that satisfied both partners' exacting standards. According to Richard Mille's official RMB01 page, the motorcycle is conceived as an uncompromising track instrument, not a road vehicle, and is assembled and tested individually at Brough Superior's factory in Toulouse, France.
Board Track Racing as Design Language
Board track racing, practiced on steeply banked wooden oval tracks in the United States during the early 1900s, produced machines stripped of everything unnecessary: no brakes on the earliest examples, no fairings, no suspension beyond what the frame provided. The RMB01 applies that philosophy of radical reduction to a contemporary machine. The exoskeletal frame leaves the structural components exposed rather than covering them with bodywork, and the fuel tank is integrated into the architecture of the chassis rather than sitting above it as a separate element. The instrument cluster takes explicit visual cues from Richard Mille's watch dials, making the collaboration legible at a glance.
Engineering: Materials, Engine, and Aerodynamics
The RMB01's 997cc twin-cylinder engine is machined from solid blocks of 5000-series aluminum alloy with a high magnesium content. The precision machining process takes 160 kg of raw aluminum down to 23 kg of finished engine components, leaving only material that is structurally necessary. The forged carbon frame and carbon fiber running gear, including the swingarm and fork, continue this material discipline across the whole machine. Aerodynamic wings mounted below the handlebars increase front-end downforce at speed without adding significant visual mass to the composition. As New Atlas reported at the RMB01's unveiling, the resulting motorcycle weighs dramatically less than a comparable production track bike despite its structural sophistication.
Three Color Schemes, 150 Units, One Opportunity
The RMB01 is available in three color specifications: Nocturnal Sapphire blue, Selene grey with orange accents, and Pearl of Speed white with red details. Each unit is produced to order at Brough Superior's Toulouse facility, hand-assembled and individually bench-tested before delivery. With only 150 units planned globally and a price of 200,000 euros excluding VAT, the RMB01 occupies a position comparable to a limited-edition Richard Mille tourbillon: an object whose value resides as much in its rarity and craftsmanship as in its performance capability.
Discover More Extraordinary Motorcycles at TheArsenale
The RMB01 stands as proof that the motorcycle can be as much a collector's object as a Richard Mille timepiece. Explore TheArsenale's full Motorcycles collection for the most exceptional two-wheelers available, and discover high-end watches through the Watches collection including the Anicorn x TheArsenale Designer Watch. For the complete TheArsenale motorcycle selection, visit the TheArsenale Motorcycles collection.
Photo: BROUGH SUPERIOR
