All Time Record For Bonhams at Star Studded Stafford

Words: Leanne Mandall
Photographs: Gary Chapman

Star names, a bike ridden by one of the most famous riders in history and a record near-£4 million auction all contributed to a smash hit Stafford show this spring.

The Bonhams auction was, as usual, a real attraction for the 39th Carole Nash International Classic MotorCycle Show, and with an impressive sale rate of 92% and a total of £3,892,397 achieved, it proved an all-time record.

Highlights included a 1962 Triumph 649cc TR6SS which had been ridden by Bud Ekins, the US racer who performed the famous jump as stunt-double for Steve McQueen in The Great Escape.

The lot achieved more than three times its top estimate with a world record auction price of £97,750.

Another record-breaker was a 1925 Coventry Eagle 981cc Flying-8, a rare example of a vintage overhead valve V-twin, which set a record for the marque, achieving £218,500.

After a three-way battle, it was bought by a lady in the room and will join a renowned collection.

Another world record was set for a 1935 Vincent-HRD 498cc Series-A Comet which sold for £97,750 to a bidder in the room.

This rare Series-A, one of only a few ‘intermediate sump’ types, was totally restored in 2015 by Glyn Johnson and has been on display ever since.

Read more in the July/August 2019 issue of CR – on sale now!