The Sultans of Sprint is an annual European drag racing event that sees competitors campaigning air-cooled twin-cylinder bikes in one of two classes; the Factory Class; and the Freak Class — the latter of which allows motos with forced induction and/or nitrous-boosted engines of up to 1,600cc. Switzerland’s VTR Customs has long been a fixture at the SoS, competing with some of the most bonkers and elaborate one-off drag racing builds such as its NOS-fed, forced-induction “Polizia 1.9” project.
Born out of a collective 1,100 hours of expert labor, the build started out as an ex-Swiss Police 1988 BMW R80RT, though it has been heavily modified. Constructed in 2018, this non-street-legal project has received Ohlins suspension, lowered handlebars, a top-shelf Magura HC3 race brake pump, a launch control feature, a quick-shifter, and a bespoke alloy tank, tail cowl, and headlight shroud, all of which were whipped up in-house by VTR. The stock airhead engine has also been bored out to 998cc, before receiving a Rotrex supercharger and a custom nitrous system that more than triple the now-liter-sized boxer’s original 48hp output, bumping it up to an even 150 horsepower. To better compensate for all the extra power going to the rear wheel, VTR has treated the BMW to a swing-arm that’s been stretched by 6″, forks that have been lowered by 3.15″, and a tighter steering head angle. Another noteworthy touch on the Polizia 1.9 is its front brake lever. After VTR’s head honcho Dani had a steel plate removed from his collarbone following an injury, the Schmerikon shop noticed the plate’s resemblance to a brake lever and opted to implement the piece of steel into the build, with the item now adorning the bike’s front Magura lever.
After making use of the project at various drag racing and sprint events, VTR Customs is now seeking a new home for the supercharged Bimmer. Located in Schmerikon, Switzerland, this 1988 BMW R80RT ‘Polizia 1.9’ build by VTR Customs is currently for sale on Classic Driver with an asking price of $59,000.
