On September 23rd, Bonhams is auctioning off 69 motorcycles, and there’s a lot to drool over if you love exotic Italians. There’s also some great British racers and some Japanese superbikes like early Z1s, but let’s just take a look at my three favorite offerings from Italy.
1973 MV Agusta 497.9cc Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle – estimated to sell between $150,000-$210,000. The final evolution of MV Agusta’s 500cc triple racers, this is said to be a highly original racer that likely competed early in the 1973 Grand Prix season, though MV doesn’t have documentation to verify exactly what races this bike may have competed in. Despite that, it still has an impressive pedigree as it’s done parade duty while being ridden by Angel Nieto and Giacomo Agostini.
1975 Laverda 750SFC Elettronica – estimated to sell between $31,000-$36,000. One of the most famous motorcycles to ever come out of Italy, the Laverda SFC was a half-faired beauty built for competition. SFC stood for Super Freni Competizione, or “Super Brakes Competition.” The brakes weren’t the only thing that were super – the engine got bigger valves and 36mm Amal carbs to boost power up to 75 horsepower, which yielded a top speed of about 135 miles per hour. Each engine was dyno tested to ensure at least 70 horsepower was produced,a nd the frames were strengthened compared to the SF model. Want to know more about why this bike has become such a legend? Check out this article from Motorcycle Classics.
1976 Ducati 750SS – estimated to sell between $21,000-$26,000. If you’re a regular on this site, you know what makes the ‘green frame’ special and why it’s one of the most valuable Ducatis ever built. Unfortunately, there isn’t much history given about this specific example in the listing, but the exhaust and endurance-style lighting make me tingle.
1960 Lambretta Li150 Rallymaster Replica – estimated to sell between $5,100-$10,000. One last one for fun! The United Kingdom got a model that no one else received thanks to their importer. Called the Rallymaster, it was a high-spec version of the Li150 Series 2. Upgrades included a custom exhaust, bigger carb, additional gauges, wider rear tire, and plenty more. This is a recreation by someone who used to own an original, and it’s been on the cover of the Lambretta Club of Great Britain’s magazine.
For the entire list of bikes, head on over to Bonhams!