Motorcycle auctions have always been somewhat of a sideshow during Monterey Car Week, but just the same, some delectable machinery is scattered between the four-wheeled lots, and this year saw quite a few remarkable two-wheeled offerings.
Board track racers from a century ago dominated the sales, with three of the top four sales going to these titans of yesteryear.
The top sale of the week was a rare four-cylinder factory 1917 Henderson Board Track racer, which fetched $159,500 ($145,000 hammer price plus 10 percent buyers premium).
Perhaps the surprise of the entire event was a 1931 Brough Superior SS80 that was owned by Steve McQueen during the 1970s, and then his good mate, Kenny Howard (aka Von Dutch).
McQueen knew how much Von Dutch loved the bike so he loaned it to him during the 1970s, with an agreement between the two that if anything should happen to either of them, the survivor would own the machine. McQueen died in 1980, so Von Dutch officially owned it for the subsequent four years until it was passed to the next custodian.
This bike (Engine: KTCY/W 92365/SFrame No. 1161) was sold at a Gooding auction at Pebble Beach in 2011 for $176,000, making it the most expensive Brough Superior SS80 ever sold at that time. It was subsequently surpassed only by the SS80 nicknamed "Old Bill", a bike ridden extensively by George Brough himself, that was sold by H&H Auctions in 2012 for £291,200 ($463,847).
That bike deserved its extraordinary price because it had won more than 50 races with the creator of the Brough Superior marque in the saddle.
So this bike went to auction as the second most valuable SS80 ever sold, with Steve McQueen and Von Dutch provenance, and when the hammer fell the buyer had to pay just $88,000 to become the next custodian. Though the official Gooding & Company estimate was $175,000 to $250,000, which was light in our opinion, the bike was sold without reserve, and someone in the right place at the right time amongst an audience of car enthusiasts, picked up a gold-plated, once-in-a-lifetime bargain.
There are many more stories to be told, but as this is Monterey Car Week, we've listed the best of the bunch with all the links, to make it easy for those with a penchant for two-wheeled exotica.
Top motorcycle auctions at Monterey 2018
1917 Henderson Board Tracker
Price: $159,500
Estimate: $100,000 - $125,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S196 | Auction Description
1917 Indian Daytona Board Tracker
Price: $110,000 ($100,000 hammer price plus 10% buyers premium)
Estimate: $75,000 - $100,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S198 | Auction Description
1952 Vincent Black Shadow Series C
Price: $101,750
Estimate: $90,000 - $110,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S78 | Auction Description
1915 Harley-Davidson 11K Board Tracker
Price: $99,000
Estimate: $50,000 - $60,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S12 | Auction Description
1931 Brough Superior SS80
Price: $88,000
Estimate: $175,000 - $250,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Co | Lot 034 | Auction Description
1957 Ducati 125 Grand Prix
Price: $93,500
Estimate: $80,000 - $100,000
Auctioneer: Gooding & Co | Lot 117 | Auction Description
1908 Harley-Davidson Strap Tank Replica
High Bid: $85,000
Estimate: NA
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot T199 | Auction Description
1913 Harley-Davidson 9E
Price: $82,500
Estimate: $85,000 - $95,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F66 | Auction Description
1938 Harley-Davidson EL
High Bid: $80,000
Estimate: NA
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot T178 | Auction Description
1920 Indian Daytona
High Bid: $70,000
Estimate: NA
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot T166 | Auction Description
1918 Harley-Davidson Board Track Racer
Price: $66,000
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S197 | Auction Description
1939 BMW R12
High Bid: $55,000
Estimate: $50,000 - $75,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S41 | Auction Description
1912 Indian Single Board Track Racer
Price: $55,000
Estimate: $35,000 - $45,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot S199 | Auction Description
1954 Fratelli Ferrari 165 Roadster
Price: $53,900
Estimate: $35,000 - $45,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F197 | Auction Description
1955 Ceccato Grand Prix Twin Cam
Price: $52,800
Estimate: $35,000 - $45,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F194 | Auction Description
1937 Indian Chief
Price: $51,700
Estimate: NA
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot T26 | Auction Description
1933 Harley-Davidson VLD
Price: $49,500
Estimate: $35,000 - $45,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F175 | Auction Description
1911 Indian Single
Price: $49,500
Estimate: $55,000 - $65,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F169 | Auction Description
1955 Ceccato Grand Prix Single Cam
Price: $41,800
Estimate: $35,000 - $45,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F198 | Auction Description
1954 Moto-Guzzi Falcone Sport
Price: $36,300
Estimate: $35,000 - $40,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F64.1 | Auction Description
1954 Maserati 175
Price: $29,700
Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F196 | Auction Description
1928 Harley-Davidson JD
High Bid: $28,000
Estimate: $35,000 - $45,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F213 | Auction Description
1956 Mondial F2
High Bid: $27,000
Estimate: $35,000 - $45,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F6 | Auction Description
1957 MV Agusta Squalo Formula Racer
High Bid: $25,000
Estimate: $35,000 - $45,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F195 | Auction Description
1910 Reading-Standard Single
High Bid: $25,000
Estimate: $40,000 - $50,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F204 | Auction Description
1915 Yale Single
High Bid: $25,000
Estimate: $45,000 - $55,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F205 | Auction Description
1910 Thor Single
High Bid: $25,000
Estimate: $40,000 - $50,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F206 | Auction Description
1952 Indian Chief
Price: $24,750
Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F212 | Auction Description
1948 Manx Norton
High Bid: $19,000
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F211 | Auction Description
1956 BSA Gold Star
High Bid: $19,000
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F214 | Auction Description
1958 BMW R26 Sport
Price: $17,600
Estimate: NA
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot T187 | Auction Description
1983 Benelli 900 Sei
High Bid: $17,000
Estimate: $20,000 - $25,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F207 | Auction Description
Formerly owned by American musician, J. Geilsof the J. Geils Band, whose biggest hits included "Freeze-Frame" (which reached #4 in the Billboard Top 200 in 1981), and "Centerfold" (which reached #1 in the United States in early 1982). Geils was a motorcycle enthusiast with a fleet of bikes and this 900cc six-cylinder was his favourite.
1969 Husqvarna 360C
High Bid: $17,000
Estimate: $20,000 - $25,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F210 | Auction Description
Owned by stuntman and motorcycle racer Bud Ekins, the guy who built Fonzie's Triumph from the hit sitcom Happy Days, performed many famous movie stunts (including the barbed-wire fence jump in The Great Escape, and was a very close personal friend of Steve McQueen. Five years after performing the jump in The Great Escape (pictured), McQueen was given a late call to the "Bullitt" movie set one day, and when he arrived, he found Ekins with his hair sprayed blond and performing the most dangerous stunts around the streets of San Francisco. McQueen allegedly then shouted "you did it to me again," referring to the earlier scene Ekins had stolen from him.
Ekins won four gold medals and a silver at the International Six Day Trials during the 1960s. He rode alongside McQueen for the United States International Six Day Trial team of 1964 in East Germany. The bike is still available if you give Mecum a call.
1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR
Price: $16,500
Estimate: $20,000 - $25,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F64.2 | Auction Description
1955 Triumph TR5
High Bid: $16,000
Estimate: NA
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot T101.1 | Auction Description
1955 MV Agusta Disco Volante
High Bid: $16,000
Estimate: NA
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot T166.1 | Auction Description
1969 Triumph Bonneville T120R
Price: $12,000
Estimate: $13,000 - $17,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F3 | Auction Description
2000 Special Custom
Price: $11,500
Estimate: NA
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot T16 | Auction Description
A great price for a custom motorcycle of this quality
1975 Laverda SF2 750
Price: $9,350
Estimate: NA
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot T181 | Auction Description
A fantastic bike in its day, with great handling and rock solid reliability
1999 CMC Captain America
Price: $7,700
Estimate: $10,000 - $20,000
Auctioneer: Mecum | Lot F216 | Auction Description
Arguably the most famous and recognizable motorcycle in history, the Captain America Harley Panhead Chopper ridden by Peter Fonda in the 1969 "road movie" Easy Rider sold at auction in 2014 for $1.62 million, but Dan Hagerty (formerly of "Grizzly Adams" fame but now better known as a scammer) who had owned the bike, had previously sold a replica for a large amount too. The auction buyer backed out, but a deal was eventually done for a private sale reported to be in the vicinity of $1.25 million.
The above bike is the one that someone paid circa $1.25 million for, so the buyer of Lot F216 has a bike that is largely the same, but he paid $1,242,300 less. No-one will know the difference except for the owner of the real one, and he's not sure either. Good buying.
