Bonhams|Cars Spring Stafford Motorcycle Sale achieves £3 million with an industry-leading 95% sell through rate.
Bonhams|Cars’ market-leading motorcycle department returned to the International Classic MotorCycle Show with 365 lots of collectors’ motorcycles, memorabilia, spares, and dismantled motorcycle projects for The Spring Stafford Sale, achieving the highest grossing UK motorcycle auction of the year reaching £3 million total. The two-day sale, which included five major single-owner collections and nearly 60% of lots offered Without Reserve, attracted an international audience with bidders from over 38 countries, many in attendance or bidding on the Bonhams app, the phone, and by commission bid. The sale further reinforced Bonhams|Cars as the auction house of choice for the sale of important collector motorcycles as well as single-owner collections.
Overall, the sale achieved a total of £3 million with an industry-leading 95% sold by lot.
On 20 April, the sale kicked off with important motorcycle spares and memorabilia, achieving a white glove result – 100% of lots finding new homes. One of the many highlights of the spares and memorabilia section was a 1986 Suzuki RG500 Project – a dismantled example of the iconic two-stroke ‘screamer’ – cruising past its estimate to achieve £11,520. The motorcycle sale for the first day achieved a 98% sell-through rate with over £600,000 raised and several single-owner collections achieving white-glove results. This includes the late Ron Pladdy’s Collection of important racing motorcycles which featured a c.1963 Honda 50cc CR110 Racing Motorcycle nearly doubling its estimate at £46,000. 
After an exciting first day, the Bonhams|Cars Motorcycle team took the opportunity to soak in the atmosphere of the International Classic Motorcycle Show with star guests Guy Martin, renowned racer and TV personality, and Philip McCallen, a racing legend from Northern Ireland that holds 11 Isle of Man TT victories.
The second day of motorcycle sales saw even more success with more than £2.19 million achieved and 98% sold by value. Highlighting the day was a 1949 Vincent 998cc Black Lightning Series-C – one of only 34 made – selling for £150,000, a pre-war offering from the same manufacturer – a 1938 Vincent-HRD 998cc Rapide Series-A, selling for £228,850, as well as the 2003 Whitelock 4200cc Tinker Toy Frame, holder of the Guinness World Record for land vehicle with most cylinders, selling for £92,000. Also of note was The Clive Woods MBE Collection, which was 100% sold and achieved over £280,000 overall, one of the many collections to feature in the sale, sourced via Bonhams|Cars Motorcycle’s network of specialists and regional offices, offering an unparalleled market reach.
Additional highlights of the sale included:
- A 1924 Brough Superior 980cc SS80 sold for £97,750.
- A 1935 Brough Superior 1,096cc 11-50 with Brough petrol-tube sidecar chassis and Watsonian Avon sports ‘chair’ sold for £78,200.
- An ex-Team Servisco; Fabbio Biliotti, 1987 Honda RS500 Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle sold for £73,600.
- A 1974 MV Agusta 750S sold for £74,750.
The Bonhams|Cars motorcycle team is now looking forward to the next online sale, taking place from 14 – 24 June. They are currently inviting consignments and can be contacted at motorcycles@bonhams.com.
More auction news can be found on our dedicated page here: Motorcycle Auction News
For more information on Bonhams Motorcycles Auctions head to the official website: Bonhams Motorcycles
