Headed by Malcolm Barber in the USA and Ben Walker in London, Bonhams' world-class Motorcycle Department is renowned for the superior quality of its service to clients, setting a standard that lesser rivals cannot match. Totally eclipsing the opposition, the company celebrated its first major collectors' motorcycle sale of 2006 in typically exuberant fashion, emphatically asserting its position as undisputed market leader with yet another '80-Plus' sale, this year's outstanding figures being 85% of lots sold for a premium-inclusive total of £795,322.
Centrepiece of the sale, the magnificent 1924 Montgomery-Anzani v-twin, subject of a concours-standard total restoration by world famous Vincent specialists Conway Motors, sold to The National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham for a premium-inclusive £109,350, a world record price for the marque, against a pre-sale estimate of £55,000 - 65,000.
The ever strengthening demand for the classic Vincent V-twin was confirmed by the performances of the three in the sale: the one-owner-from-new 1955 Black Shadow Series D selling for £47,700; the low-mileage 1955 Black Knight fully-enclosed model for £20,700; and the highly original 1949 Rapide Series B for £20,400.
One of the Vincent's modern equivalents - the 1995 Honda RVF750 RC45 - sold for £18,400, an excellent result for this collectible future classic that reflected its one-owner status, low-mileage (199 from new) and total originality.
All three American machines in the sale achieved excellent results: the 1918 Indian Powerplus fetching £16,100 (against a top estimate of £14,000) and the 1937 Indian Chief £18,400, while the customised 1954 Harley-Davidson Hydra Glide (forerunner of the iconic Electra Glide) sold for £17,250.
Original 'barn finds' offering excellent restoration potential always generate intense interest, and the 1925 Rex-Acme 2¾hp did just that. In the same family ownership since 1978 and in storage for the past 28 years, this very rusty but substantially original example sold for a premium-inclusive £4,715.
At the other end of the age/condition scale, the superb 1964 Triumph Trophy 650, a US-export model that had covered a mere 2,400 miles since restoration in the UK, sold for £6,120, confirming the trend that has seen prices of early (pre-oil-in-frame) unit-construction Triumphs increasing steadily in recent years.
Motorcycle and sidecar combinations are a minority interest these days, yet there continues to be a strong demand for good examples. The star achievers at this sale were the restored 1931 Ariel Square Four with stylish Cabin Cruiser sidecar, which sold to a US buyer for an above-estimate £19,550, and the veteran 1913 Triumph 3½hp with wicker 'chair', a Pioneer Run regular that had been in single family ownership from new, which fetched £7,360, getting on for double its upper estimate.
Single-cylinder English thoroughbreds are always highly sought after by collectors, and of the many that found new homes via this sale, the unused 1993 Beale Matchless G50 racer (£16,100) and 1967 Velocette Venom Thruxton (£12,075) represented particularly noteworthy results.
An unusual consignment, the UK and EU rights to the famous Matchless trade mark attracted international interest, eventually selling to a Continental European buyer for £45,500.
Highlights of the sale's memorabilia section included the front number-plate of Ernie Lyon's 1946 Manx Grand Prix-winning works Triumph, which attracted fiercely competitive bidding and finally sold for a staggering £3,680 against an estimate of £300 - 500! Mike Hailwood memorabilia always attracts intense interest and Mike's race-worn 1966 Cromwell crash helmet proved to be no exception, selling for £2,070, in line with its upper estimate. One of the added lots in the memorabilia section, an illuminated Triumph dealer's sign dating from the 1940s/1950s, was keenly fought over, eventually selling for £897 against a sale room estimate of £500 - 700.
Other Highlights Of The Sale Included:1952 Norton 500cc International - sold for £9,840. Used by its first owner up to 1990 and restored by the second, a retired engineer, this Inter was revealed to have Clubman's TT history and retained its in-period racing modifications.
1909 Humber 3½hp - sold for £7,475. This Pioneer Humber had been restored in 2001 and was a many-times concours winner.
1958 Ariel Square Four MkII - sold for £7,130. Acquired by the vendor in 2003 and restored by him, sparing no expense, this late 'Squariel' confirmed the strengthening demand for good examples of what was the ultimate touring machine of its day.
1988 Norton Classic - sold for £9,660. Number '001' of the 100 built, this Classic had been purchased new by the Sunday Times as a competition prize and sold unregistered to the present owner on behalf of the competition winner. The pristine machine had covered only 1,090 miles from new.
1939 Royal Enfield 1,140cc Model KX - sold for £9,775. Demand for quality pre-war v-twins shows no signs of weakening, as exemplified by the excellent result achieved by this fully restored Royal Enfield.
1916 Sunbeam 3½hp - sold for £9,000. A marque with a loyal following second to none, Sunbeam has always been a strong performer in the saleroom and this concours-winning example proved no exception.
1970 Kawasaki 500cc Mach III - sold for £3,720. Representing a rare opportunity to acquire a fully restored example of this highly collectible, first-of-the-line model, this Mach III had been restored to an exceptional standard three years ago and covered but a single mile on private land before being placed in indoor storage.
1993 Norton 500cc Manx by Bernie Allen - sold for £14,375. Purchased by the vendor at Brooks' Olympia Sale in December 1997, this Bernie Allen-built Manx had been kept in a centrally heated room of his house and never used.
Bonhams Group Managing Director, Malcolm Barber commented:" Having been the auctioneer at this event since its inception by Alan Whitehead in the early 1980s, I always feel that the Spring Stafford Show acts as a barometer for the motorcycle market. This international gathering can determine how the market responds for the rest of the year, and this occasion proved no exception. The level of pre-sale interest from both consignors and potential buyers strongly indicated that motorcycle sales in 2006 would start with a bang, and our assumption was proved correct.
I once again witnessed truly international participation and was thrilled with the sale's results. It was a privilege to see our National Motorcycle Museum compete with two major overseas bidders to secure the Montgomery for their collection, and gratifying to see it remain in the UK. I see strength in the market for this year, with new collectors entering the scene".
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