On October 15th, Bonhams will be holding the Autumn Stafford Sale, a dedicated motorcycle and memorabilia auction in Staffordshire, England at the Staffordshire Country Showground. There are over 300 motorcycles going up on the auction block, many of which are some of the most valuable and coveted scoots on the planet. Here are six of my favorite two-wheeled offerings from the elite upcoming event.
1. 1972 MV Agusta 750S
When the MV 750S was first introduced in ’69, it was the essence of excess and abundance. Ultimate Motorcycling said, “The 750S took two-wheel sex appeal and rebelliousness to new heights.” The 750S’s four cylinder motor was fed via four separate wide-mouth velocity stacks and exhaled through four individual chrome header pipes that lead to dual pipes on either side of the MV. The exotic Italian racer made around 69hp and was good for a top-speed of about 130mph. The 750S is one of the most iconic Italian racers of all time and undeniably deserves partial credit for today’s Italian sport machines’ exotic and elite status.
This 1972 MV Agusta 750S example has the Registration no. “MV4C75*2140278*” and Engine no. “214-0223*”. The expected value of this motorcycle is between $66,000 – $86,000.
2. 1932 Brough Superior 981cc SS80 De Luxe
“The Rolls Royce of Motorcycles”. The SS80 is one of the most sought after motorcycles in the world, only matched by the likes of machines like the Merkel featured earlier today. The SS80 was designed by George Brough himself. It went into production in 1924 and continued until the outbreak of the second World War in ’39. The legendary 50-degree V-twin powered SS80 was offered in a “De Luxe” spec (like this example). The De Luxe came with bottom-link front-forks, a fully-sprung rear-wheel, pillion foot-pegs, a proprietary rolling stand, and a specially tuned powerplant.
This 1932 Brough Superior has the Registration no. “TV 5943” and Frame no. “1170” Engine no. “KTCS/H 9673/SL”. The expected value of this motorcycle is between $72,000 – $85,000
3. Jorge Lorenzo’s 2007 Championship-Winning Aprilia
If you have even tenuously followed motorcycle racing in the last decade, you know who Jorge Lorenzo is. The Spaniards “riding on rails” style has earned him a place in the motorcycle racing hall of fame. In addition to his three MotoGP titles, Lorenzo also has two 250GP titles, one of which was achieved on this 2007 Ex-Works Aprilia GP machine, hence the “No. 1” plate. Despite it being a decade-old, this is still a cutting-edge machine that was born out of years of R&D. Every component on this machine is top-of-the-line, and the amount of precious materials adorning this example is ridiculous. This example is as epic and high-performance as it is historically significant.
This ex-works Aprilia has the Frame no. “TCC604” and Engine no. “2500-301”. The expected value of this motorcycle is between $130,000 – $180,000.
4. 1983 Laverda TT1 RGS Corsa
In ’82, the Laverda factory produced a racer based on a standard RGS that was used to compete in the Italian TT1 championship. It differed from the standard RGS in the form of a specially-tuned engine with racing cams, pistons, clutch, valves, and carbs, and a racing gearbox. A handful of other modifications were made to shave weight off of the stock RGS such as magnesium alloy fork sliders, shock absorbers, brake calipers, floating discs, Campagnolo wheels, and fiberglass bodywork. A single machine was built in ’82 but it was broken down and lost through the sands of time. The following year, the factory prepared an additional 4 complete bikes and 6 engines for sale to very select customers. These machines are extremely similar to the 1982 factory bike, though Laverda nonetheless calls them “semi-works machines”.
This 1983 Laverda TT1 RGS Corsa has the Frame no. “LAV 1000 RGS/1*2534*” and Engine no. “LAV.1000 RGS”. The expected value of this motorcycle is between $39,000 – $65,000.
5. 1981 Magni BMW 980cc
Most of the motorcycle world knows Arturo Magni from his work with competition MV Agusta machines, but shortly after his work with the iconic Italian marque Magni moved on to other makes from outside his native country. Magni Hondas were created before Arturo moved onto BMWs utilizing the proven R1000 engine. Supposedly less than 150 Magni BMW examples were ever manufactured, and though Magni isn’t strongly associated with the German moco, this is nonetheless a stellar machine with this example only having a reported 134 miles on the odo.
This 1981 980cc Magni BMW has the Registration no. “GBZ 4992”, Frame no. “6210406”, and Engine no. “6210406”. The expected value of this motorcycle is between $6,500 – $10,000.
6. 1975 Bimota YB1 Racer
Bimota built its reputation by dropping proven engines from big manufacturers into advanced frames, and then tricking the machine out in top-shelf components all wrapped in some sexy Italian bodywork. Early Bimota examples are wildly valuable and incredibly rare. For the first couple years of production, no more than a dozen of each model was typically produced. After delivering the HB1, one of Bimota’s next models was the YB1, the first use of a Yamaha powerplant. Only 12 units were produced, and this particular example was campaigned by Swiss rider Bruno Kneubuhler. This is a stellar example of Bimota’s acute attention to detail, trick frames, high-quality construction, and near-flawless welds, all possible thanks to tiny production runs.
This Bimota YB1 Racer has an expected value of $24,000 – $29,000.
Other seriously noteworthy examples include a 1976 Bimota SB1, 1977 MV Agusta Boxer, 1974 Laverda SFC, 1911 Pierce 688cc Four, 1914 Henderson Model C Four, 1982 Hesketh V1000, and many, many, many more you can check out at the Autumn Stafford Website. The prestigious auction will also be open to online bidders, though proper registration prior to the October 15th event is required.
What’s your favorite?