It’s called the International Classic Motorcycle Show, billed as “the history of two wheels at auction.” It took place in Stafford—not to be confused with Shakespeare’s Stratford—on April 25–26. Yet one could say that it is poetry itself that unites these two cities across the Channel. Stafford’s poetry, however, is of a different kind: bombastic, meant for the select few. And it is written by Bonhams, one of the world’s most famous and oldest auction houses. Many lots went under the hammer, and it was a veritable spring auction. Among them, here are the top lots.
1965 MV Agusta 500cc Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle, the record-breaking Italian motorcycle at auction
The star of the two-day British event was an Italian: an MV Agusta 500cc, dating back to the years when the Samarate-based manufacturer dominated the sport and counted legends like Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini among its factory riders. So much so that all surviving examples from those years are preserved in museums or private collections, and only in extremely rare cases is one put up for public sale.
The motorcycle presented by Bonhams is an ex-works “500,” purchased in 2005 by John Surtees, and although its history is unclear, it is certain that it was ridden by at least one of Hailwood or Agostini during the 1965 season. Offered at auction with an estimated hammer price of between 160,000 and 220,000 francs, it sold for a record 967,000 pounds. This marks a new record for the highest auction price ever achieved by an Italian motorcycle, coming close to the all-time record of $1.32 million set by a 1915 Cycle V-Twin Board Track Racer at the 2025 Mecum’s auction in Las Vegas.
Suzuki RG500 XR14
Equally frenzied was the auction for the official Suzuki RG500 XR14, on which Barry Sheene won the World Championship in 1977. Up for auction for the first time in nearly 40 years, this bike was one of only two factory bikes Sheene rode in the 1977 World Championship, and it was on this very bike that he crossed the finish line in the season’s final race, clinching the title. With an initial estimate of between £160,000 and £200,000, strong interest and bidding drove the sale to close at £506,000, including the buyer’s premium: a new world record for a Japanese motorcycle sold at auction.
2019 Smith’s Racing BMW S1000RR Racing Motorcycle
This is the motorcycle ridden by Peter Hickman, one of the most successful and beloved riders of the current generation of road racers, with numerous high-profile victories to his credit and the current holder of the all-time lap record on the Mountain Course of the Isle of Man TT at 219.385 km/h. At the 2019 North West 200, Peter Hickman continued to dominate the Superstock class, claiming victory in the opening race for the second consecutive year. He achieved all this on his Smith’s Racing BMW S1000RR, which—in addition to its successes in TT Superbike, Superstock TT, and the North West 200—also claimed victory at the Ulster Grand Prix. The bike exceeded its initial estimate of £30,000–£35,000, reaching £88,550.
The Record-Breaking Auction
Overall, the Stafford auction recorded a total value of £4.208 million for the motorcycles sold, against a minimum estimate of £2.208 million, with 100% of lots sold on the first day of the two-day auction and 96% on the second day. Ben Walker, director of Bonhams Collectors’ Motorcycles’ international department, said: “The Bonhams auction in Stafford at the International Classic MotorCycle Show was a historic event for the motorcycle community, one that will be remembered by those who attended for many years to come. We set two new world records—for the price of an Italian and a Japanese motorcycle sold at auction—and came very close to the all-time world record for the auction price of a motorcycle.”
