For its 95th anniversary, Pininfarina hosted an event today that highlighted the intersection of aerodynamics, performance, and design in two-wheel mobility. At the heart of the event was a visit to Grugliasco, Italy, the home of the Pininfarina wind tunnel, a global benchmark for aerodynamic and aeroacoustic research for over 50 years across industries.

The event featured a distinguished lineup of speakers and brands that are shaping the future of two-wheel mobility introduced by Silvio Angori, Pininfarina’s Vice Chairman and CEO. He was joined by Alessandro Aquili, Head of Pininfarina Wind Tunnel; Fabrizio Valentini, Head of Design Management at Pininfarina; and journalist and moderator Piergiorgio Giacovazzo. Guests were Cristiano De Rosa, CEO of De Rosa; Graziano Milone, President and Strategy & Business Development Global CMO of Vmoto International; Jason Hill, Chief of Design at three-wheeling Aptera Motors; and Robert White, Founder and CEO of White Motorcycle Concepts.

“This event comes at a time when Pininfarina is enhancing its wind-tunnel facility to provide two-wheeler customers—OEMs, startups, and racing teams—with a crucial tool for product development,” explained Aquili. “It is now possible to evaluate the aerodynamic performance (drag and lift) and cooling efficiency of motorcycles with rotating wheels while remotely adjusting the bike’s attitude using an active suspension system, allowing for a lean angle of up to 55°. Additionally, our wind tunnel can be used to assess aerodynamic and thermal comfort, either with a test rider or an instrumented dummy, in maximum safety. This facility is also an essential resource for racing teams, helping optimize riders’ positions on the bike.”

The highlight of the event was a new collaboration between White Motorcycle Concepts and Pininfarina showcasing the future of aerodynamic innovation in motorcycles.

White’s revolutionary and patented V-Duct aerodynamic technology is centered around a duct running through the center of the motorcycle that significantly reduces air resistance and thus CO₂ emissions. The innovation significantly increases efficiency by addressing the critical challenge that 80% of a motorcycle’s power at 100 km/h (62 mph) is used to overcome aerodynamic drag.

The first result of the collaboration is a set of concept sketches for a street-biased naked and semi-faired roadster that uses the aerodynamic duct as a key element of both its appearance and structure.

Pininfarina’s wind tunnel, able to simulate crosswinds and gusts as well as constant airflow, has played host to countless competition and street cars over more than half a century, but also played a role in developing the first mass-made motorcycle with a fixed full fairing, the BMW R 100 RS. That was a quantum leap in aerodynamics for production motorcycles when it was launched in 1976. Now Pininfarina is playing a role in another step forward as it helps create a design around White Motorcycle Concepts’ central duct idea.

White was at the event to show and discuss the WMC250EV electric land speed record bike, the WMC300E+ three-wheeled first-responder bike, and the recent WMCSRS designed with Zero Motorcycles. Pininfarina’s new design study illustrates how White Motorcycle Concepts’ aerodynamic duct can be incorporated into a potential future street motorcycle with a forced-induction, small, internal combustion engine.

The duct was demonstrated first on the WMC250EV to illustrate its ability to significantly reduce aerodynamic drag at the highest speed ranges. The WMC300E+ incorporated the same idea but focused on the benefits in terms of efficiency at lower speed. The WMCSRS showed how the duct could be incorporated into an existing electric sports bike—the Zero SR/S—and provide benefits to real-world riders.

Pininfarina’s study shows how a clean-sheet design for a new forced induction small combustion powertrain motorcycle can maximize the benefits and combine them with distinctive styling that visually emphasizes the duct while retaining proportions that won’t alienate existing motorcyclists.

Rather than focusing on faired sports bikes, the idea emphasizes that the duct is designed to facilitate a comfortable, conventional riding position in a bike that creates far less aerodynamic drag than traditional naked motorcycles. By passing air directly from the front of the bike, below the rider, and venting it above the rear wheel, both frontal area and coefficient of drag are reduced without making any compromises to the riding position.

The new design’s tubular shape is inherently rigid and creates a strong connection between the steering head area at the front and the seat and rear suspension pickups at the back, and it provides a mounting element from which to hang the powertrain.

For the design, the powertrain is envisaged to be a small, supercharged combustion engine aimed at maximizing performance and efficiency in a compact, lightweight package. Minimizing the size of the engine allows more space for the patented duct above it. By adding forced induction, it’s possible to get a combination of efficiency and performance. The structural duct above it, made from composite materials, helps reduce weight.

“It has been a true pleasure collaborating with Pininfarina on these initial imaginings of how our patented duct could be incorporated into a forced induction small combustion powertrain motorcycle,” said White. “I am particularly proud of how we have managed to make the duct both a structural and style feature on a faired and naked concept. The duct concept has always been about improving efficiency no matter the fuel source, but this collaboration has taken this to the next level showing how the duct can provide functional performance as well as be an aesthetic feature for future motorcycles.”

WMC aims to collaborate with major manufacturers to integrate the technology into mainstream motorcycles. In partnership with Pininfarina, WMC is exploring the styling possibilities that its patented aerodynamic duct concept offers for future motorcycles.

Pininfarina and WMC have initiated a phase of technical fine-tuning within Pininfarina’s wind tunnel, further optimizing the V-Duct’s performance to ensure seamless integration into future motorcycle designs.

The other three OEMs highlighted at the event showed examples of other interesting aerodynamics and design collaborations with Pininfarina.

Milone shared the story of a partnership that led to the creation of the Vmoto APD concept, the world’s first maxi-scooter designed in the Pininfarina wind tunnel. The APD represents a preview of an upcoming model marking the company’s entry into the maxi-scooter segment, a category the company has not yet explored. Extensive testing hours led to the creation of a final design featuring a complex interplay of three-dimensional surfaces and stylistic details inspired by Pininfarina’s most iconic creations.

De Rosa focused on the Settanta bike, its most advanced model, designed for the brand’s 70th anniversary. It features a lightest-in-class 730-g (1.6-lb) frame that combines aerodynamics, stiffness, and high-modulus carbon layering. Key innovations include an airflow-optimized head tube housing internal cables, a sleek horizontal tube merging into a hexagonal seat tube, and a rear triangle engineered for weight reduction and airflow efficiency.

Hill provided a look at Aptera’s solar electric vehicle, one of the most aerodynamically efficient vehicles in history, and discussed the design challenges and how Pininfarina’s wind tunnel played a crucial role in refining the vehicle’s aerodynamic profile. The collaboration (highlighted by Futurride here) began during Aptera’s initial aerodynamic design validation and continues to offer promising technical advancements as the company moves toward one of the lowest drag coefficients ever recorded for a production passenger vehicle.