Vision Realized
Exotic Custom Chopper builds motorcycles with a capacity most other custom builders can only dream of. Despite being relatively new, ECC has built a solid sense of the owner's desires. For this reason, Samuel Ballinger, publisher of Makes and Models magazine, commissioned Michael Londo and the ECC team to build a one of a kind Aston Martin inspired motorcycle.

"At the 2006 Sebring Race, I saw the F1 Ferrari motorcycle Londo built and was impressed. It was artistic yet remained faithful to the racecar," explained Ballinger. An avid car enthusiasts, he immediately thought about other cars of distinction that deserve such recognition and approached Londo about creating a motorcycle inspired by the iconic marque, Aston Martin.

Ballinger has had a relationship with automobiles since 1963 at the age of nine when he saw his first black Studebaker Avanti. "It was the most exquisite car I had ever seen, and my love affair with automobiles began. My father had an extensive collection of cars and so supported my interest." At 18, Ballinger received a Porsche from his father, cementing his bond with unique automobiles. Soon after, while attending college under an ROTC scholarship he began working in his spare time at a dealership in Tampa. He then spent several years in Europe, where after receiving his commission as a military police officer in Berlin, Germany, Ballinger was able to sample some of the finest automobiles the world had to offer. After attending the State Department Driving Course, he drove State Department cars such as Ford LTDs with 429 V-8 engines used for intelligence gathering missions in East Germany, diplomatic vehicles, Military police cars, and West Germany police vehicles such as the 911 Porsches.

As a natural extension of his love for the automobiles, Ballinger began a collection of exotics that included Scorpios, Rovers, Mercedes, and Porsches. in 1979, Ballinger acquired his first Aston Martin, a 1961 DB4, and fell in love with the marque. In 2001, when Aston Martin opened their premier dealership in Tampa Bay, they offered him a chance to drive the DB7 V-12, as he was on the Aston Martin's owners list. The more familiar he became with Aston Martin, the more he respected the design, quality, and performance of their automobiles. Today, Ballinger owns the new DB9 and says, "It's the best car I've ever owned, and "I've owned well over 100 different cars."

For this reason, Aston Martin came to mind when Ballinger saw Londo's
beautiful cycle. Londo, as well, has always been fascinated by
mechanical sculpture and in 2004, after his father died, he decided to
throw himself into something that gave him pleasure.  The result was
Exotic Custom Choppers.  “I was watching an episode of Orange County
Choppers, and thought, ‘Hey, I can do that.'”  The rest is history.

After Ballinger and Londo had spoken about the build, Joshua M. Davis -
ECC's Creative Director - put together a computer rendering of the
Delta Bravo 9iner and production began.  Ballinger gave extreme
creative license to ECC, “I was confident in their abilities to pay
homage to Aston Martin.”  He did, however, stipulate that he wanted a
British engine to compliment the European marque, a shorter front end
than is standard on most choppers, and wheels similar to those on his
DB9 so as to reflect the same elegance captured by Aston Martin's
designers.   

“It was a compliment to be given such freedom with the build; he let us
be creative.” Said Londo of Ballinger's request.  Building a bike such
as this is no easy task, despite having the DB9 as a template from
which to draw their inspiration.  They studied the Aston Martin, using
both the DB9 and pictures of the vehicle for reference in order to
capture the vehicle's essence. From there, they created renderings that
would guide then through the build process.  Londo explained that after
the renderings were done, they rarely had to refer back to the DB9, as
Davis ' drawings were so detailed.

Transferring a vehicle's aesthetics to a motorcycle's frame is no easy
task.  One has to consider the size difference, the differences in
shape, and what is and is not transferable.  

Almost everything was created in house.  “Everything was hand-shaped,
and sculpted out of a large block of foam. We wanted to re-create the
Aston Martin details so precisely, there were only a few pieces on the
bike that we did not build specifically for the piece such as the front
forks, the tires, and of course, the Triumph 1100cc engine.”

Everything else on the bike is a one-off piece.  The components of the
build come together in a triumph of engineering and ingenuity.  “It
wasn't an easy build, but it was enjoyable.  It was different than
previous builds we had done.” He explained, “The Ferrari bike was
definitely inspired by their F1 car, but it wasn't a replicate in cycle
form.  The Delta Bravo 9iner, being a tribute, had to mimic the lines
of the Aston Martin DB9 and evoke the same sense of elegance and latent
power. “  The Aston's front grill, side strikes, and crystal starter
button on the wood-grained dash are all reflected in this exquisite
motorcycle. The attention to detail is incomparable.  One's first
impression upon seeing the bike is to look over their shoulder for
James Bond.  It is truly a piece of art and appears as though it's more
fit for a museum than recreation.  Londo, however, ensures us that it
is extremely capable of the latter with 125hp at 9250rpm, the Delta
Bravo 9iner can reach speeds up to 159mph.

Tom Heinz Sales Manager of Aston Martin of Tampa said after seeing the
cycle, “The Delta Bravo 9iner” has character.  Londo has definitely
incorporated the Aston Martin trademark design cues and despite the
absence of logos, one still knows exactly what it is.”  The Delta Bravo
9iner is a phenomenal motorcycle.  Perhaps it may even inspire Aston
Martin to commission a few for themselves, for everyone who sees the
bike for the first time is immediately taken aback at the styling and
detail - even its owner.

After seven months in the shop, six men working on mechanics and
design, the Delta Bravo 9iner was ready for Ballinger.  Upon seeing the
cycle completed for the first time, Ballinger recalls that he felt
“immense admiration…and patience being the least of my virtues, it was
worth the wait.  The only question left to be answered is ‘are the road
manners (of the cycle) as impeccable as those of the Aston Martin's
DB9's?'”

For more information on Exotic Custom Choppers, please visit
www.exoticcustomchoppers.com

For more information on Aston Martin, please visit
www.astonmartinoftampa.com