BMW Motorrad chose an exclusive car show in Monaco to unveil their latest R18 custom project, an extreme cruiser dubbed “Magnifica”. Unveiled on June 8 at the Grimaldi Forum, the R18 Magnifica was commissioned by Officine Riunite Milanesi and executed by Andrea Radaelli from Radikal Chopper.

BMW Motorrad describes the Magnifica as a “German maxi cruiser where luxury, craftsmanship and the nobility of the materials used meet in this unique and fascinating motorcycle,” with an emphasis on materials such as brass, aluminum, and wood in its construction.

The aesthetics of the Magnifica are a nod to BMWs of the 1920s to 1940s, notably the BMW R37, as well as BMW cars of the 1940s, with the original concepts sketched, instead of the more common CAD renderings. The initial ideas ignored any pretense of production manufacturability, before being reigned in to the form seen here. Almost everything on the bike is hand made, the CNC rims being the one noticeable exception, but they are still custom parts.

The unique front end integrates the brake calipers into the fork legs, with twin discs both mounted on the left side, one conventionally hub-mounted, the second rim-mounted similar to some Buell designs.

Raffaello Polchi is the owner of Officine Riunite Milanesi, a bar attached to a motorcycle shop in Milan, Italy, who commissioned the build from Andrea Radaelli from Radikal Chopper, an award-winning builder known for his “Ad Maiora” BMW R 1100 S and Ducati Scrambler custom builds.

The Top Marques show is described by the New York Times as “the world’s most exclusive car show”, with supercars from all the top manufacturers, and runs from June 8 to June 12, 2022.