What Happens When Car & Bike Manufacturers Get Together? 

No matter whether it’s four wheels or two, good design is good design. Both cars and bikes require precision, great looks and world-class engineering to capture the attention, so when the two come together, the results can be amazing.

Bike and car manufacturing has been intertwined for years, producing some exceptional designs that border on works of art, many, just as good to look at as they are to ride.

In this article, we’re sharing some of our favourite bike and car collaborations from the beautiful to sublime, plus a few history makers and special mentions too. All in time for the Tour De France Grand Depart from Lille-Nord, this Saturday.

Read on if beautiful cars and jaw-dropping bikes are your thing.

McLaren & Specialized S-Works

There aren’t many brands that epitomise high performance like McLaren and Specialized’s premium offshoot, S-Works, so when the two got together, the results were predictably good.

The ‘Venge’ made by Specialized with input from McLaren on construction was released in 2012, not only looking uber-cool but also featuring an ultra-light frame and a racing-focused setup. 

It’s not all talk either; the bike has been raced by Mark Cavendish (with great success) numerous times. 

Audi & Renovo

Hardwood might not be the first material you think of when it comes to bikes. Still, Audi and Renovo used just that in 2011 to make a series of high-performance, biodegradable road bikes that took inspiration from the interiors of the German marque’s range.

The range, according to Audi, was determined to be ‘not a mere rebranding of a commonplace bicycle’; the choice of frame material made it anything but.

Ferrari & Colnago

Quite possibly our favourite collaboration on our list, in part because it’s a match-up of two of the most iconic Italian brands in their respective worlds; Ferrari and Colnago. 

The CF4 is our pick from a line of models bearing the Ferrari name, including the CF1 and CF3, featuring an obligatory carbon fibre monocoque frame and a splash of Rosso Corsa, finished with some (now) retro Colnago lettering.

This particular Ferrari/ Colnago collaboration stands out because it marked a shift in model type, from the typical collectors' models (most of which our list is made up of) to a ‘traditional’, usable road bike. A Ferrari for the everyman?

Audi Sport

Not strictly a collaboration, and we’ve already included Audi once, but we had to show off their foray into bike building all on their own. The team at Audi Sport, responsible for some of the more aggressive models in the range, such as the R8 and RS6, brought their expertise to the bike world, making use of Nappa leather from the R8 (for the seat) and crazily expensive carbon fibre from their LeMans winning quattro.

Couple these sought-after materials with a limited run of just 50 and it’s no surprise that the Audi Sport racing bike commanded a heavy price tag. Yours for approximately £15000, if you can find one.

Aston Martin & Storck

The first of two Aston Martin bike collaborations on our list, this one, designed by renowned bike manufacturer Markus Stork; the ‘Fascenario.3’ was produced in 2017, with a limited run of 107.

The Fascenario.3 weighs in at just 5.9kg, with a nano-carbon fibre frame making up just 770g of that. Wireless gear shifting and paddle handbrake levers bring a nod to Aston’s racing heritage, whilst also providing smooth gear changing and a refined look. Add in some Pirelli P Zero tyres and there’s not much else any motorsport lover could ask for.

It’s little wonder that at the time, Markus Stork labelled the Fascenario.3 as ‘the best bicycle ever built with an automotive name on it’.

Bugatti & PG

Totally customisable and still actually available to buy, the PG X Bugatti collaboration produced a bike that looks like it’s come straight from the set of Tron.

The idea was to create the lightest urban bike ever made, and at just under 5kg, we think PG may have succeeded. That’s only part of the reason this model has made our list, though. Bugatti owners can actually specify the colour and finish of their bike, meaning you could see a whole range of these with no two being the same.

You’ll need Bugatti money, though; the PG collaboration comes in at £48000. Find out more about it here.

Lotus

Like the Audi Sport, Lotus’ foray into bikes makes the list despite not technically being a collaboration. We couldn’t leave Lotus off the list though, simply because the 108 and 110 models Lotus designed and manufactured in the late eighties and early nineties could possibly be the most influential pursuit bikes ever made.

When the UCI revoked it’s ban on monocoque frames in 1990 the 108 was revived and used by the British Cycling Federation where, in 1992 (at Barcelona) it sprung to fame thanks to Chris Boardman and his 4000m pursuit gold medal, setting a new world record in the quarter finals along the way.

Since then, pursuit bikes have evolved immeasurably, but the key characteristics can still be seen in the Lotus 108 and subsequent 110, which, at auction, originally sold for approximately £146000; that’s Lotus Emaya money in 2025.

Lamborghini & Cervelo

Inspired by the Aventador SVJ, which set the Nurburgring ‘series vehicle’ track record, the Cervelo R5 Lamborghini Edition was designed in 2020 to take on the ups and downs of the Dolomites with power and speed.

It features super aggressive Aventador-inspired livery and ultra-light Colnago hardware throughout.

‘Reasonably’ priced at £18500, the R5 was limited to 63 units, reflecting the founding year of Lamborghini itself.

Aston Martin & Factor

The second Aston to make our list, the One-77 made in conjunction with Factor Bikes is a limited edition (of 77) created as a homage to its namesake supercar.

The One-77 bike is essentially an Aston Martin-branded edition of the Factor 001 Racer, which isn’t a bad thing. The Factor carries a whopping £23000 price tag in its own right, thanks to its ultra-smart, in-built GPS and performance monitoring; earning it the title of ‘the most high-tech bike on the market’.

‘Retailling’ (we say in quotations because you can’t exactly get them on eBay) at around £27000, we’re sure the One-77 will always be an appreciating asset to those 77 people lucky enough to own one. Plus, it’s a snip compared to the £1.3million price tag of the four wheel counterpart.

Special Mentions

Jaguar & Team Sky

Not a bike collaboration, more a bike team collaboration, Team Sky and Jaguar got together in 2014 to create a one-off, Tour De France friendly support vehicle in the form of a Pinarello-wielding F-Type R Coupe.

The car featured a bespoke bike rack system capable of carrying two Pinarello Bolide time trial bikes (the type used by Team Sky at the time) designed and manufactured by Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVR), something, we’re guessing, isn’t readily available on the high street.

With a 0-60 time of around 4 seconds, the F-Type R Coupe was an ideal choice to keep up with the pace, even fast enough for the likes of Froome, Thomas and Wiggins.

Peugeot

Peugeot is the oldest car maker in the world, having started production and manufacture in 1891, even more surprisingly, they were in business 9 years before that, making bikes as far back as 1882.

They’re one of the most successful factory teams on two wheels, winning the Tour De France 10 times and on four, with 5 World Rally Championships, 7 Dakars and 3 European Rally Championships respectively.

Our Final Word

There’s always been an abundance of crossover between cars and bikes going back to well before the early 80’s and as both car, bike and ‘good looking things’ enthusiasts, we’re 100% here for it.

From carbon fibre to hardwood, there really are no limits to what good designers and manufacturers can pioneer, perfect and utilise in their pursuit of perfection, something we hope continues for many years to come.

We hope you enjoy this year's Tour De France and we hope you’ve enjoyed reading this. If you have, share it with your car and bike-loving friends.

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