Egli-Vincent for YSL

The new ad campaign for YSL fragrance L’Homme Sport features French actor Olivier Martinez riding a Godet-Egli-Vincent Black Shadow through the Mojave desert just east of Los Angeles. The bike is a Patrick Godet creation (the only officially sanctioned builder of new Fritz Egli frames), and uses fresh-cast engine cases for a capacity of 1330cc, giving around 110hp…which gives stunning performance, especially with an all-up weight of less than 200kg.  While Godet has built and raced Vincents for decades, his series production of complete Godet-Egli-Vincents began in 2006, with financing from his partner, the French singer Florent Pagny.  The new-spec engines can be ordered in various capacities, with the example used in the YSL ad campaign the largest and most powerful street machine offered.

Michael Lichter and I featured this very machine last year in our ‘Ton Up!’ exhibit at Sturgis, and it garnered plenty of attention with its menacing all-black livery, half-fairing, and upswept Gold Star exhaust pipe.  You can examine the bike in detail in Michael Lichter’s stunning photography within our book documenting that show, ‘Cafe Racers’ (Motorbooks 2014).  The stunning black Godet-Egli is considered by many to be the ultimate vintage café racer, and can be ordered/purchased for less than the cost of a restored ‘standard’ Vincent Black Shadow these days…I know which one I’d rather have!  But then, I have a café racer heart…

In the ad shoot, Olivier Martinez, whom Americans might know as the husband of actress Halle Berry, rides the machine himself with no stunt doubles (as per the Chanel ad campaigns with Kiera Knightly featured previously in The Vintagent), at times through an artificial water ford for dramatic effect.  Enjoy the ‘making of’ video below, which gives an idea of how much effort/money is required for a simple fragrance ad campaign, which can typically budget $15-20M for a single fragrance… but then, perfume is a hugely profitable, mega-$Billion industry, selling what is basically scented water in a groovy bottle, and needs the romantic associations attached through advertising…