On the first weekend of December each year, the Pacifico Yokohama convention center is filled to the brim with highly imaginative machines for the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show. There’s a whole lot going on—from crazy engineering to retina-searing paint jobs. But one Japanese custom builder stands out for entirely different reasons.
Shiro Nakajima, otherwise known as 46Works, wows year after year with his tastefully restrained racing-inspired customs. A trained engineer and former boss of the Japanese restomod powerhouse Ritmo Sereno, Nakajima-san has a knack for combining Japanese craftsmanship with European style. That philosophy is on full display in this stylish Ducati Monster M900 racer.
Shiro built the Ducati on commission, with an open brief that left every decision up to him—including the choice of donor bike.…