Record-breaking £3.6 million auction at Stafford Show
The Bonhams Stafford Sale took place last weekend and the £3.6 million raised became the highest figure ever achieved for a European and UK motorcycle auction.
The highlight of the auction was two separate lots, each consisted of a box of Brough Superior parts, which together raised almost £1/2 million. The Brough Superior 981cc SS100 Alpine Grand Sport projects sold for £236,700 (from 1926) and £259,100 (from 1927) respectively, and the Olympia Motorcycle Show 1937 Brough Superior 990cc SS100 sold for £208,700.
Held at the annual Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show at the Staffordshire County Showground, celebrity enthusiasts from the two and four-wheeled world including Sebastian Vettel, James May, John McGuinness, Jim Redman, Sammy Miller and Steve Plater attended.
McGuinness said, “I just love bikes. If I wasn’t a racer I’d still be a huge fan. Coming to events such as this one and talking to people about our bikes… I love it!”
And it was the former Top Gear presenter James May who offered several motorcycles in the sale, led by his 1967 Honda CB450 ‘Black Bomber’, which sold for £5,980.
Other highlights included the ex-Steve McQueen 1934 Indian 750cc Sport Scout sold for £59,740.
The single-owner Lonati Collection achieved an impressive 91% sales success as well as a new world record set for an Indian Four, when the 1930 Indian Model 402 Four Motorcycle Combination sold for £97,700. A 1910 Pierce 688cc Four, sold for £63,100, a 1930 Henderson 1,301cc Model KJ 'Streamline' Four, sold for £49,450, a 1930 Harley-Davidson 1,200cc Model V, sold for £34,500, and the 1911 Flying Merkel 498cc 'Racing' Motorcycle, sold for £33,350.
Malcolm Barber, Bonhams co-chairman, said, "The two-day Stafford Sale has been a resounding success, and the highest ever UK and European motorcycle auction total. Bonhams have a long established reputation for successfully handling single-owner collections, with the Italian Lonati Collection Sale further cementing that status."
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