With the news of the Herb Harris British Collection coming to Las Vegas capturing headlines around the world, not to mention motorcycles from Peter Fonda and the Estate of Dennis Hopper, anticipation for Bonham’s auction in January is building quickly.
Now the world’s leading auctioneers of motorcycles is pleased to announce the addition of some very important racing motorcycles campaigned by some of the greatest names in the sport.
Considered without a doubt one of the finest racers of all time, Mike “The Bike” Hailwood is legend. In 1959, under his father’s Ecurie Sportive team, Hailwood competed in the British Championships on an ex-works Mondial. Clinching second place in the Ulster GP put him in fifth place in the World Championships and helped him earn the British Championship — a title he won easily. Now his race-winning 1957 FB Mondial 250 Bialbero Grand Prix Racer — that was later under the stewardship of Reg Dearden and featured in Classic Bike — will be offered on the open market for the first time in decades. With incredible provenance, history and rarity, this genuine, matching numbers and fully functional masterpiece is in a league all its own.
From Dick Mann, one of the most versatile racers to ever throw a leg over a motorcycle — winning on a national level in motocross, flat track and road racing — are two of his former motorcycles: the AMA Championship-winning 1962 Matchless G50 Road Racer and 1965 BSA Gold Star Flat Track Racer. The Grand Slam-winning, two-times Grand National Champion won 8 of his 24 national victories aboard a Matchless, and this G50 — a very desirable machine in its own right — is the one that helped carry him to his first National Championship. The BSA is a highly specialized and tuned bike that Mann personally customized for his flat track races, and both motorcycles come with signed letters of authenticity from the American champ himself.
Francis Beart was one of the best race bike builders and tuners of the 20th century. The motorcycles he personally prepared for his race team, primarily for the Isle of Man, are the stuff of legend and instantly recognizable in their iconic shade of green. Beart’s 1961 Norton Manx 350 Manx GP Racer — the last and best he ever built — was campaigned in the Manx GP numerous times during its tenure before it became part of the Stanford Hall Museum Collection and then later raced by Alan Cathcart, a Beart-sponsored rider. And now, Bonhams will offer this rare, authentic British racer in Las Vegas.
In addition to these historic and impressive bikes, Bonhams will also feature a number of other important and exciting competition motorcycles. From the 1959 Harley-Davidson KR750 Flat Track Racer ridden by National Champion Joe Leonard, to the following examples, these are but a few:
1912 Indian Twin Board Track Racer — original condition
1948 JAP Speedway
1956 AJS 7R
1956 MV Agusta 175
1957 BSA Gold Star Works Racer
1957 Ducati 125 GP Racer
1958 Gilera Saturno Corsa 500 GP Racer
1959 Ducati 175 F3 Production Racer
1967 Harley-Davidson Aermacchi 250 CRTT
1972 Harley-Davidson XRTT Road Racer
1974 Harley-Davidson RR350 Road Racer
1975 Norton Challenge P86
1977 Seeley-Honda CB750
1979 Ducati Biggelaar 900SSR
These and many more motorcycles will be offered at Bonhams Las Vegas Auction held Thursday, January 8th at Bally’s Hotel & Casino on The Strip. To register to bid, order a catalog and learn more about the most anticipated motorcycle auction of the year, visit Bonhams.com/Vegas. MC
Photo courtesy Bonhams