The French oil company ELF bankrolled Renault’s turbocharged race cars of the 1970s. So when one of Renault’s designers turned his eye to motorcycles, ELF stepped in again. Andre de Cortanze’s ELFe endurance racer appeared at the 1981 Bol d’Or with a factory Honda 1000cc RSC engine: it was rapid but unreliable, so de Cortanze created a super-streamlined variant called the ELF R. In 1986, this bike captured a remarkable six world records at the Italian Nardo track. Motorcyclist Magazine has the full story. [Via Ze Last Chance Garage]