- Since 2001 the SH125i has been the cornerstone of the Atessa, Italy, factory
- 25th anniversary celebrated with the creation of the SH125i Marmo concept and ‘Hanami’, the accompanying 1:1 scale marble sculpture
- SH125i Marmo concept uses recyclable acrylic plastic in bodywork to achieve a unique appearance
- Project documented in a new short film that reveals the thinking behind one of Europe’s most enduring and loved mobility icons
Honda is marking the 25th anniversary of the SH125i scooter with an ambitious multi-layered creative project that brings together sculpture, engineering innovation and filmmaking to celebrate one of Europe’s most enduring urban mobility icons.
Uniting art, design, sustainability and manufacturing, the project explores how a product originally conceived for practical everyday mobility can transcend function to become an object of cultural and creative significance. At the centre of the initiative are two distinct reinterpretations of the SH125i: ‘Hanami’ a 1:1 scale marble sculpture created by renowned Italian sculptor Filippo Tincolini, and the SH125i Marmo concept developed by Honda engineers at the Atessa Factory.
Together, these works are accompanied by a three-part film series documenting the project’s development while opening wider conversations around craftsmanship, industrial design, sustainability and longevity.
For a quarter of a century, the Honda SH125i has played a defining role in European urban mobility. Instantly recognisable and continuously refined over successive generations, the scooter has maintained a rare continuity of design identity while adapting to the changing demands of modern city life.
This anniversary project reflects that same balance between evolution and permanence. By translating the SH125i into both sculptural art and sustainable material experimentation, Honda aims to highlight the enduring qualities that have defined the scooter for 25 years: clarity of design, balanced proportions, practicality and emotional connection.
“Over 25 years, the SH125i has accompanied several generations in their daily lives and continues to do so, with coherence, year after year,” states Marcello Vinciguerra, Managing Director, Honda Italia Industriale. “It’s precisely this functional simplicity that makes it unmistakably an SH. This joint project explores that unwavering visual mantra.”
The most visually striking expression of the project is Tincolini’s ‘Hanami’: A 1:1 scale marble sculpture of the SH125i, carved from a single solid block of marble. The sculpture transforms an object associated with movement and contemporary mobility into something permanent and reflective, emphasising the precision and restraint underpinning the scooter’s design language.
Alongside the sculpture sits the SH125i Marmo concept; a fresh interpretation of the classical scooter developed by engineers at Honda’s Italian manufacturing facility. Using recyclable acrylic resin, the concept demonstrates how industrial manufacturing processes can emulate artisanal finishes while supporting a more circular production approach.
The project is further explored through a series of three films. The main documentary follows the creation of both interpretations, from the Michelangelo marble quarry and sculptor’s studio through to the final product. Additional films focus separately on the relationship between sculpture and product design, and on Honda’s environmental initiatives and material innovation at the Atessa factory.
“It is very exciting to see how the SH’s shapes – being very fluid and muscular – are enhanced by a noble material like marble,” explains Giovanni Dovis, designer of the SH125i. “Filippo Tincolini has definitely managed to fully capture the essence of the SH in his work.”
Together, the ‘Hanami’ sculpture, SH125i Marmo concept and film series form a rounded celebration of the SH125i’s 25-year legacy while reflecting Honda’s broader design philosophy centred on quality, simplicity, longevity and purposeful innovation.
Reinterpreting the Honda SH125i Through Sculpture
At the heart of Honda’s 25th anniversary celebration for the SH125i is an exploration of design as something that can exist beyond utility: A study of proportion, balance and form through the medium of sculpture.
Created by acclaimed Italian sculptor Filippo Tincolini, the 1:1 scale marble SH125i sculpture reimagines the scooter as a timeless artistic object. Hewn from a single block of marble, the sculpture captures the clean surfaces, flowing lines and restrained proportions that have defined the SH125i throughout its 25-year evolution.
Known for combining classical sculptural traditions with contemporary subjects, Tincolini approached the project not as a replica, but as an interpretation of industrial design through traditional craftsmanship. In the sculpture, the front section of the scooter emerges and takes shape from the marble block, while the rest remains embedded within the stone — a tribute by Tincolini to Michelangelo’s non-finito.
This deliberate choice to interrupt the definition of the work at the very moment the form begins to appear allows the artist to “freeze” the instant in which the scooter blossoms, like a flower on a branch — a moment in which the marble is no longer inert matter, yet the SH125i has not fully come to life.
It is like the blooming of flowers in spring: a moment of pure wonder that anticipates the fruit to come. And flowers, a recurring element in Filippo Tincolini’s artistic language, play a central role in this work as well.
These are sakura — delicate Japanese cherry blossoms — which appear across the fairing, the fork, and the wheel.
The title of the work, “Hanami” (meaning ‘flower blossom viewing’), arises from this meeting between Japanese identity, Italian design, and Tincolini’s artistic vision. The flowers become a symbol of form in bloom.
Just as the Japanese tradition of hanami celebrates the fragile and extraordinary moment when cherry trees blossom, so too, in Tincolini’s work, the scooter seems to emerge from stone at the exact moment of its appearance — transforming the sculpture into a true spring of matter.
Working in marble introduced a completely different relationship with light, texture and proportion. Surfaces normally defined by painted body panels and engineered materials were instead expressed through hand-finished stone, allowing the simplicity of the SH125i’s form to become the focal point.
“Working with the design team at Honda has been a great experience,” added Filippo Tincolini. “They explained how much the design ethos of the SH is inspired somehow by the sculptors of the renaissance – very clean lines, strong surfaces with a purity and simplicity. When Honda explained this background, I became very enthusiastic about helping to celebrate the SH.”
The project also offered an opportunity to revisit the original design philosophy behind the SH125i itself. Honda motorcycle designer Giovanni Dovis, who contributed to the scooter’s original concept development, joined Tincolini as part of the film series to discuss the parallels between sculpture and product design.
Their conversations explore how proportion, clarity and emotional connection play equally important roles in both disciplines. While the SH125i was designed first and foremost as a practical urban mobility solution, its visual consistency over 25 years has helped establish it as one of the most recognisable scooters on European roads.
“Seeing the scooter reinterpreted in pure marble has been an incredibly special experience, particularly as someone who was involved in sketching the original design concept,” added Dovis. “When we first developed the scooter, the intention was to create something functional yet emotionally engaging, a design that people could instantly connect with.”
The accompanying design-focused film places the SH125i at the centre of a broader conversation about enduring design and the relationship between craftsmanship and industrial production. Set between Tincolini’s studio and the marble quarry, the film documents the complete creation process while examining the shared principles that connect sculpture, engineering and product design.
Through this reinterpretation, Honda highlights the SH125i not simply as a mode of transport, but as an example of long-lasting design that has remained relevant across generations of riders and changing urban environments.
SH125i Marmo and Honda’s Sustainable Manufacturing Vision
Complementing the marble sculpture is a second interpretation of the SH125i that focuses on innovation in materials, manufacturing and environmental responsibility.
Developed by Honda engineers at the Atessa Factory, the SH125i Marmo concept explores how industrial production techniques can recreate the visual richness of handcrafted materials while contributing to a more sustainable manufacturing process.
Using recyclable acrylic resin, engineers created a unique surface finish that replicates the natural veining and depth of marble across the scooter’s body panels. The result establishes a visual dialogue between traditional artistic materials and modern industrial processes, linking the concept directly to Tincolini’s marble sculpture while remaining entirely functional as a vehicle.
“The SH Marmo is a pioneering concept, which takes the reflection of production materials even further,” explains Sebastiano Cerrone, Head of Product Innovation at Honda Italia Industriale. “The material offers great freedom of expression and allows the introduction of unique motifs and styles from the very earliest stages of production.”
In addition to its visual qualities, the material offers strong impact and scratch resistance properties suitable for real-world urban use. Engineers also developed the process so that colour is integrated directly into the material before moulding, removing the need for a traditional paint stage during production.
Eliminating the painting process has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions associated with conventional body finishing methods while simplifying production workflows and reducing waste. The project therefore serves not only as a design exercise, but also as a case study into how future manufacturing processes could become more resource efficient.
The SH125i Marmo concept is featured prominently within the project’s environmental-focused film, which brings together key figures from the Atessa factory to discuss Honda’s broader sustainability ambitions and the practical initiatives being implemented within the facility.
The film explores how the factory is working to reduce environmental impact across multiple areas of production, from material sourcing and waste reduction through to process efficiency and long-term manufacturing sustainability.
“What makes us most proud is that ideas such as the SH Vetro or the use of the SH Marmo material come from Atessa, the production plant, from the people who make it every day,” concludes Cerrone. “Our associates are constantly thinking about the expectations of our customers, and the wider impact of the plant. We encourage car-sharing, we use solar for clean energy, which accounted for 14% of our total last year, we have also developed a low-impact varnish for our paint finishes, which has allowed us to reduce our oven temperatures by about 50 degrees. Our spirit is to take advantage of every change and to measure its merit, to promote the satisfaction of our associates by creating better products every day.”
By pairing the handcrafted permanence of marble sculpture with forward-looking sustainable manufacturing research, the overall project creates a dialogue between heritage and future innovation.
Together, the SH125i sculpture, SH125i Marmo concept and accompanying films celebrate not only 25 years of the SH125i itself, but also Honda’s continuing commitment to thoughtful design, engineering innovation and responsible manufacturing for the future of urban mobility.
-ENDS-
For more information on the 25th anniversary of the SH125i, click here
The main project film can be found on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/1CgGr9oFCKg
