High-altitude attitude

An exercise in restraint, this Guzzi was built by Gian Maria Traversone, owner of GMT Atelier, a dream toyshop for petrolheads, which combines Gian’s passion for cars, bikes, and planes. As a veteran owner of delectable high-performance machinery, his personal bike is a mix of his passions and clear evidence of knowledge and experience. The bodywork was sculpted in the image of a plane fuselage, with aluminium forming the fuel tank and fibreglass chosen for the tail section, and the gorgeous patina of the seat is thanks to an old leather jacket that was sacrificed for the build. Of course, the distinctive paint finish is aviation inspired, with the colourings and markings similar to that of the Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale, the Italian Navy acrobatics division. Those markings on the custom tank are, in fact, manoeuvre diagrams, just like the pilots would keep in their cockpits, and the aviation touches don’t stop there. Planes don’t have speedometers, so why would this bike? A fully functional air speed gauge sits proudly atop the handlebars, perfect for measuring pace generated from the rebuilt engine with twin stack carbs — a perfect finishing touch for this aircraft-grade custom creation…

Photos: Bike EXIF