The 2025 Bonhams Spring Stafford Motorcycle Auction caused somewhat of a stir, as the hammer went down on over £3 million in sales with an impressive 95% sell-through rate. The auction featured a remarkable array of old motorcycles, and there were some absolute steals.
A snapshot of some of the bikes in the auction are detailed here, and to start with, the Derek Fox Collection of Nortons. There were a couple of machine’s in this collection that really stood out:-
The first was a 1915 Norton 490cc Brooklands Road Special. These old belt-drive Nortons were a byproduct of Brooklands racer and master tuner Dan “Wizard” O’Donovan, and according to Norton, were ‘for those who desire exceptional power and speed for competition in a machine suitable for road work.’ This rare machine sold for £14,375 inc. premium.
Then there was the 1927 Amateur TT ES2 Racer. This machine was supplied in full TT spec to Mr Matthews to use in the Amateur TT (the forerunner to the Manx GP). At the 1927 Amateur TT, the Norton was wrung out from the get-go. Matthews and Braidwood (on a P&M) contested the lead over the first few laps before both retired on lap four, with Matthews falling at Greeba (probably a result of the heavy rain and diabolical conditions on track). This machine sold for a very modest value (£18,400 inc. premium) – you will be hard pushed to find something like that again for that price.
Sunbeam were present and correct at the auction, with some pristine examples, and some opportune projects. The 1927 Sunbeam 498cc Model 90 stood out from the black and gold machines. It was assembled at Sunbeamland and built to special order for John ‘Bob’ Campbell Lowe for use in the popular long-distance trials of the period. It was specified from new with some practical features such as the lighting set, full chain guard, low-ratio sidecar gearing, rear carrier, and fully valanced front mudguard: all features not commonly fitted to the ‘standard’ and more sporting Model 90 of 1927. The bike sold for a healthy £36,800inc. premium and is off to a respected collector and restorer in Japan.
While we are going big, let’s go even bigger. The 1938 Vincent-HRD 998cc Rapide Series-A was a show-stopper of the auction. The Series-A is an undeniably handsome machine, and this one was dispatched to a chap called Jim Kentish in 1938. Having gained his licence in 1933, Jim was working behind the scenes in a London theatre. Taking the afternoon off one day, he rode the Rapide to Brooklands for a mid-week test session and was told by the Dunlop representative that he had been lapping at ‘over a hundred’ but should not have been using ‘road’ tyres. With Dunlop racing tyres fitted, Jim returned to the track the following Saturday, lining up against purpose-built racers aboard the Vincent, which was a fully road-equipped sports-tourer. Carrying competitor number ‘3’, the Rapide won one of the two races entered and Jim then rode the bike back to work having achieved a best lap of 106.65mph on the way to earning his Gold Star. This Rapide is an older restoration and is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone with deep pockets, hence the £181,700 hammer price.
Coming back down to earth, slightly, another bike of note was a 1939 Velocette 348cc KTT Mark VIII which sold for £52,900 inc. premium. The Velocette Mark VIII KTT is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made. It was introduced at the 1938 Earls Court Show, and was effectively a production version of Stanley Woods’ works machine which had won the Junior TT only a few months before.
While we are on racing, another racer on offer for a more modest price tag was the ex-Tommy Meeten c.1928 Francis-Barnett 172cc Brooklands Sports. Tommy Meeten set a number of speed records at Brooklands with Francis-Barnett, riding one of their 172cc Villiers-engined two-strokes. The particular machine dates from circa 1928 and has the Villiers Brooklands engine fitted with Meeten’s special expansion chamber exhausts – quite the stand out feature on this quirky racer. The bike sold for £6,325 inc. premium.
A handful of Brough Superiors appeared at the auction, quite the relevance as 2025 marks the centenary of the SS100. The Brough attached was the stand-out model. It is a 1925 Brough Superior SS100 Special which was specially tuned for competition purposes by the Brough factory. It competed in period and took 2nd place in the 1927 Ulster Grand Prix. This gem of a motorcycle sold for an eye-watering £276,000 inc. premium.
There were some absolute bargains to be had as well which included:
- c.1926 Scott 498cc Super Squirrel 3-Speed: sold for £3,450 inc. premium.
- 1928 Norton 490cc Model 18: sold for £13,225inc. premium
- 1919 Triumph 550cc TT Roadster Type-D: sold for £6,555inc. premium
- 1903 396cc Quadrant: sold for £5,520inc. premium
There were also some nice projects for those with a bit of time to get their teeth stuck into, including:
- 1947 Velocette 349cc KSS Mark II: sold for £5,750inc. premium
- 1936 Sunbeam 500cc Model 9 Sports: sold for £5,750inc. premium
There are simply too many motorcycles to talk about, but what was evident was a trough in the market. It could be the perfect time to buy if you are on the hunt for a vintage or veteran machine.
Photos credited to the Bonhams Motorcycle Department.
an article by The Girder Club
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