When most people think of big ticket vehicle auctions in the U.S., the location of choice is usually Monterey, California. On August 14th, Mecum’s hosting an auction at this storied location. In all, 75 bikes will be up for auction, many of which are from the Gary Hite Estate Collection. In chronological order, here are my top 7 (because I couldn’t limit myself to just 5).
1909 Yale Single – A 4 hp belt-drive single which originally retailed for $200 (or $235 if you splurged on a Bosch magneto), this was a product from the Consolidated Manufacturing Company, a short-lived venture out of Toledo, Ohio.
1951 Triumph Thunderbird – Named Baby Mine, this bike was raced by Bobby Sirkegian on a TV show called You Asked For It. It’s recently been restored to look good as new. If you’re curious, here’s a video with more information on the bike:
1957 Matchless G80RR – One of just 50 factory-built works bikes for American dirt tracks, this has been restored to concourse level.
1967 Triumph Racer – This beauty is documented as the last bike Gary Nixon kept from 1967, the year he won his first Grand National Championship. This specific bike placed 1st in the Santa Fe National Championship – the trophy for which comes included in the sale. For more on Nixon (including some pictures of him on similar Triumphs), check out this entertaining read from Selvedge Yard.
1967 Harley-Davidson KR750 Racer – An ex Bart Markel dirt tracker, this bike is ‘show ready’ with, oddly enough, a mannequin equipped with Markel’s leathers and helmet.
1977 Seeley Honda – I’ve featured one of these bikes before because they’re absolutely fantastic – here’s an example but there’s very little information on it at the moment.
2004 MV Agusta 750 Brutale Serie Oro – 1 of 300 made (22 were brought to the states), this bike has plenty of “gold”, as well as carbon fiber parts, and higher-spec suspension. This example comes with a few goodies including MV Corse titanium exhaust, custom EPROM chip, and more.
I know that my top 7 aren’t going to be your top 7, so if you’re looking to see what else is going on the block, head on over to this page for a list of all lots.