RECORD BREAKERS: Bonhams takes close to THREE AND A HALF MILLION POUNDS at Autumn Stafford Sale. 1925 Brough Superior sand-racer ‘project’ sells for £264,500.

Bonhams annual two-day Autumn Stafford Sale closed yesterday at the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show at Stafford Showground, taking a total of £3,479,800 over the weekend.

The stars of the auction included a pack of Brough Superiors, which claimed the top four places among the ten biggest sales of the two-day Autumn Stafford Sale. The top spot went to an ex-C.F Edwards, 1925 Brough Superior 981cc SS100 Sand Racer Project which, despite being completely dismantled, achieved more than double its estimate and sold to a UK buyer in the room for £264,500, the highest amount ever achieved for a dismantled Brough Superior. A 1933 Brough Superior 981cc SS100 Project sold for £161,000, while a 1924/1925 Brough Superior 981cc Project achieved £126,500.

There were also many significant single-owner collections included in the sale, most notably The Adrian Reed Collection, The Willowbrook Collection and The Mark Wilsmore Ace Cafe Collection which comprised more than 200 lots in total. Both the Willowbrook and the Wilsmore collections were one hundred percent sold, while the Adrian Reed Collection achieved an impressive £546,307, including the c.1930 Henderson 1,201cc KJ Streamline Four selling for £56,580, double its estimate, and the c.1919 Henderson 1,147cc Model 2 Z Four realizing £48,300.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE –

The extraordinary 1937 Böhmerland 603cc Langtouren has the longest wheelbase of any production motorcycle, and sold for £63,250

• The 1989 Honda VFR750R Type RC30 was in effectively ‘as new’ condition and sold for £47,150
• The ex-Colin Edwards, Martin Bauer, 2012 Suter MMX1 Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle achieved £46,000.
• The silver hip flask awarded to Rem Fowler on winning the 1907 International TT Race sold for £25,000. The hip flask is recognised as the most important piece of TT memorabilia in existence.

James Stensel, Head of Motorcycle Department UK, commented: ‘Once again, the Bonhams motorcycle department has achieved exactly what it set out to – to sell the best machines on the market at the best prices. Our realistic estimates attracted bidders from across the globe, and bidding throughout was incredibly lively. Vintage projects performed particularly strongly, highlighting the continued interest for rewarding projects from the very best manufacturers. We are absolutely thrilled with the results of the sale, the success of which underlines the vast breadth of the department’s knowledge. We look forward to our Spring Sale in April and continuing to consign the widest possible range of top machinery and automobilia.’

TOP TEN SALES AT BONHAMS AUTUMN STAFFORD SALE 2018

(price includes buyer’s fee)

1925 ex-C F Edwards Brough Superior 981cc SS100 sand racer project, £265,386

1927 Brough Superior 981cc SS100 Pendine, £167,309

1933 Brough Superior 981cc SS100 project, £161,539

1928/1925 Brough Superior 981cc SS100 project, £126,923

circa 1952 ex-Francis Williams/Basil Keys Norton-JPA 996cc MK1 ‘Saltdean Special,’ £80,769

1972 MV Agusta 750S, £73,846

1952 AJS 4908cc Model 20 Springtwin cutaway, £68,980

1937 Bohmerland 603cc Langtouren, £63,461

1992 Honda NR750, £62,308

Circa. 1930 Henderson 1301cc KJ Streamline Four, £56,769