Quintessentially luxurious with a touch of rock, classical with a hint of provocation, rough-edged yet with neo-vintage design, the appeal of ‘Café Racer’ style is not restricted to bikers’ circles but goes much further, extending to worlds as diverse as fashion, lifestyle, literature and magazines. DS 3, a true style icon, an icon of its generation, makes a mark on its era once again and offers an interpretation of this genuine social phenomenon.
Inspired by the work of genius motorcycle builders such as Shinya Kimura, the concept of wabi sabi (austere sophistication) and events like ‘Wheels and Waves’, DS 3 offers this ultra-customised limited edition that combines the rich and glorious history of DS, the Brand’s unconventional spirit, and leading-edge performances and technologies, for a unique driving experience.
The DS Automobiles brand and BMD Design, united around shared values of style, authenticity and know-how, came together to create DS 3 Café Racer, a pure object of desire. A graphic artist by training, artist Bruno Michaud created the BMD studio in 2001. He uses traditional handcraft methods used in France from the 1930s. Bruno has a preference for handcrafting, which allows him to work closely with his designs and stimulate his senses. Today, there is a genuine enthusiasm for all things handmade, and many brands are turning towards the values of artisanship: authenticity, know-how, and traditions.
The BMD Studio designed the decor for the Limited Edition DS 3 Café Racer, evoking a unique rock and vintage universe that combines sophistication and practical design. The DS Automobiles teams, for their part, put the finishing touches on this DS 3 Café Racer to make it a unique and modern vehicle with a strong personality that breaks free from the stereotypical world that surrounds us.
UK DS 3 CAFÉ RACER PRODUCT LINE-UP AND PRICES
DS 3 Café Racer will be available with a choice of PureTech 110 or 130 petrol engines with a choice of manual or automatic gearbox:
- PureTech 110 S&S manual
- PureTech 110 S&S EAT6 automatic
- PureTech 130 S&S 6-speed manual
Taking inspiration from the Café Racer and Ace Café motorcycle culture of 1960s London, DS 3 Café Racer is a stylish new limited edition from DS, featuring strong ‘Café Racer’ exterior branding, bi-tone body colour and a luxurious interior of Trinitario Brown Nappa watchstrap leather.
A strong equipment specification including DS LED Vision – Xenon headlights and reversing camera compliments the style of DS 3 Café Racer and with a UK production run of just 150, further confirms its unique appeal.
DS 3 Café Racer is available in hatchback version only and will be available to order from 13 June 2018.
UK production models are available in the following colour combinations:
- Ink Blue body colour with Parthenon Cream roof colour
- Perla Nera Black body colour with Parthenon Cream roof colour
- Platinum Grey body colour with Parthenon Cream roof colour
- Ruby Red body colour with Parthenon Cream roof colour
Versions and prices are as below:
MODEL / PETROL ENGINE ON THE ROAD PRICE
PureTech 110 S&S manual £21,305
PureTech 110 S&S EAT6 auto £22,825
PureTech 130 S&S 6-speed manual £21,825
A SOPHISTICATED ROCK WORLD
The most notable sign of customisation: the vintage Parthenon cream roof bears a special exclusive graphic, affixed by hand, which makes subtle reference both to the DS Brand and to the Café Racer movement.
Special badges on the bonnet and doors, decorations on the rear boot and the ‘shark fin’ which mirror the roof decals all add to both the sophistication of this exclusive limited edition and its attention to detail.
The tops of the doors and sides of the interior, the roof embellishers and spoiler are also in Parthenon Cream to accentuate the contrast with the three body colours available. This Limited Edition’s modernity is carried with elegance and grace, as befits the Café Racer style, with exclusive 17” black diamond-cut ‘Bellone’ alloy wheels with Parthenon Cream wheel centres, DS wings and external trim is painted in exclusive sparkling textured black. It also features a chrome license plate embellisher, gloss black, door handles, exterior door mirrors with gloss black cappings and matt black stalks and the rear window glass is tinted.
HANDCRAFTED WITH A MODERN TWIST
Our immersion in the Café Racer world continues into the interior, which boasts a Parthenon Cream dashboard graphic, printed by hand, that picks-up on the distinctive roof decor.
This exclusive ambience is perpetuated with the watchstrap-style seats upholstered in Trinitario Brown Nappa leather with cream over-stitching recalling the dashboard: luxury at the service of the comfort of both driver and passengers. This attention to detail is subtly apparent in the cream over-stitching on the perforated leather steering wheel and the panel visor trim kit. The quality of the materials used for the leather steering wheel and the aluminium pedal and footrest adds a touch of sportiness and sophistication.
Café Racer is nothing if not modern in spirit. DS 3 Café Racer also has a wide range of on-board technological equipment. Automatic air conditioning, reversing aids, automatic wipers and heated wing mirrors all guarantee safe and driving with peace of mind. A 7-inch touchscreen and satellite navigation system offer an intuitive and finger-friendly ergonomic interface. For constant connectivity, DS 3 Café Racer has a Mirror Screen feature so that smartphones can be used safely (incorporating Apple CarPlayTM or MirrorLink®) and a DS Connect Box offering emergency and assistance systems for peace of mind.
“This deep fascination with the Café Racer movement, with the glamour of rock’n’roll and the alluring vehicles of the past, with the beauty of unique and personal objects, led us to create this rare and exclusive limited edition. It combines modernity, creative freedom and an homage to the glory of the past, with references to the heritage of car racing. DS Automobiles believes strongly and passionately in vehicles, and is once more demonstrating its profound attachment to creative, customised, bold and resolutely forward-looking objects of desire” says Eric Apode, Head of Products and Development at DS Automobiles.
To make our customers feel special, not only with their new DS 3 Café Racer, DS is also offering elegant, trendy accessories – a Ladies scarf and a pocket handkerchief for men in delicate black-and-cream silk in the colours of the roof and dashboard with an exclusive pattern which matches the car’s graphic design.
DS WORLD PARIS – ENTER THE WORLD OF THE WORLD OF THE CAFÉ RACER
To mark the launch of DS 3 Café Racer, DS Automobiles invites the public to discover its latest creation in an exclusive preview at DS WORLD PARIS. From now through 18 June, visitors young and old, aesthetes and the merely curious can immerse themselves in the world of the Café Racer, a world of singular and freedom-loving motorcyclists.
On the programme, an exhibition of photographs by Laurent Nivalle, Head of the DS Virtual Lab in the DS brand Styling Centre. A motorcycle enthusiast and renowned photographer, he presents a series of photographs taken during attended events such as the Café Racer Festival or the Grizzly Ride Out. Shot in black and white, the photos magnify the allure of these uniquely stylish and timeless machines and the class of these motorcyclists with their radical, liberated style.
Another photographer focusing on another theme, William Crozes, a specialist in advertising photography, curated a series of visuals during the filming of the ‘DS 3 Café Racer’ presentation video. Developed in colour, these photos are also on view, highlighting the Café Racer style as interpreted by the DS brand; a first in the automotive industry.
The exhibition of these photographs highlights one of the touchstones of the Café Racer trend, – customisation. In doing so, it demonstrates the bold character of DS Automobiles, which is venturing into a territory dear to motorcycle enthusiasts and showing up where it is least expected.
For its most recent creation, the DS brand selected Bruno Michaud of the Bordeaux studio BMD Design to design the customisation of DS 3 Café Racer. A graphic designer with a passion for vintage objects and typography, Bruno Michaud is an advocate of handcrafts and a traditional approach to artisanship. His largely dichromatic productions combine vintage and resolutely contemporary visual. To mark the Café Racer residence, helmets, gloves and graphic designs created by this contemporary artist will also be on show.
If the unveiled DS 3 Café Racer will undoubtedly be the star of the exhibition, it will be joined by two motorcycle models: a Norton Domiracer and a Brough Superior SS100.
THE WORLD OF THE CAFÉ RACER
The ‘Café Racer’ movement is deeply rooted in pre-war Great Britain and became popular with British bikers in the early 1960s. They would jump on their bikes and race around the streets of London, from one café to the next. They would modify the machines to make them as light as possible and create an aesthetic that was radical yet simple.
Since that time, this trend spread all over Europe and elsewhere (particularly Japan and the United States). Nowadays, throughout the world, these artists create incredible two-wheelers, which are grand yet also rugged, paying homage to a glorious past while remaining firmly focused on the future. The ‘Café Racer’ style connotes luxury with a touch of rock and boasts neo-vintage design. Its influence is not restricted to bikers’ circles but goes much wider extending to worlds as different as fashion, lifestyle, and magazines.
About DS AUTOMOBILES
A French brand born in Paris, DS was founded on 1 June 2014. Its ambition is to embody in the automotive industry the French luxury know-how. Driven by its outstanding heritage and avant-garde spirit, DS perpetuates the values of innovation and distinction inherited from the first DS, launched in 1955.
Designed for customers looking for a means to express themselves as individuals, the DS Collection comprises DS 3, DS 3 CABRIO, DS 4, DS 4 CROSSBACK, DS 4S*, DS 5, DS 5LS*, DS 6* (China market only) and DS 7 CROSSBACK. The models in the DS range stand apart through their avant-garde design, refinement and attention to detail, advanced technology and dynamic serenity.
DS 7 CROSSBACK, the SUV featuring Parisian-style innovation and savoir-faire, ushers in the second generation of DS models. Committed to high-performance hybrid and electric cars, the Brand will launch the DS 7 CROSSBACK E-TENSE 4×4, the hybrid powertrain by DS, in 2019.
DS 7 CROSSBACK are available from dedicated network, in DS Stores and DS Salons. DS also has a flagship store, DS WORLD PARIS, 33 rue François 1er in Paris, France. DS represents a brand experience that goes beyond the products to include ONLY YOU, a collection of exclusive services.
