Bonhams motorbike auction brings in more than £3.3m
BONHAMS Spring Stafford Sale took place last weekend at the International Classic MotorCycle Show and saw an incredible 92 per cent of the lots sold, generating more than £3.3 million.
Several world records were broken, including the sale of a 1970 Clymer Münch 1,177 cc TTS ‘Mammoth’, which sold for a staggering £154,940. A 1973 MV Agusta 750S went for £96,700 – the highest price ever achieved for this model at auction.
The top lot of the sale was the 1931 Brough Superior 981cc SS100, which sold for an impressive £264,700 – well above its pre-sale estimate of £170,000-220,000. The machine sold to a bidder in the room after an intense six-way battle. Proceeds of the sale are to benefit not one, but three charities: the Search and Rescue Dog Association, the RNLI and the Salvation Army.
James Stensel, the head of Bonhams Collectors’ Motorcycles UK, said: ‘We are incredibly honoured to have been appointed to sell such a special machine. The result exceeded all expectations and demonstrates the strength of the Brough Superior market and the length that bidders will go to to support such worthy causes.’
A highlight of the sale was the 1974 Ducati 750SS Project, which sold for more than three times its pre-sale estimate, selling for an impressive £106,780 to a bidder in the room after a lengthy bidding exchange.
Many machines achieved well above their pre-sale estimates, such as the 1923 Nimbus 746 cc Four, which achieved £55,200 against an estimate of £12,000-16,000, and the 1930 Coventry-Eagle 996 cc Flying-8 Model F150 Police, which sold for £68,700 against an estimate of £40,000-50,000.
There were several single-owner collections in the sale, including the impressive machines from distinguished collector Miklos Salamon. Every piece in his collection sold. Highlights included the 1950 Vincent 998 cc ‘Chinese Red’ Touring Rapide (£68,700) and the 1940 Indian 78 ci Four (£68,700).
