Brough Superior

Three of the most expensive motorcycles in history sell during Monterey Car Week 2019.

Monterey Car Week is where the world's most monied automotive enthusiasts congregate once a year, and as usual, there are quite a few elite motorcycles on offer. We count 15, maybe 16 motorcycles that are expected to fetch six figures, headed by two Crockers likely to fetch $500,000 each.

Bonhams Spring and Autumn Stafford Sales are two of the highlights of the global auction year for rare and storied motorcycles. Every year there are records broken, and many of the world's most expensive motorcycles have crossed the block at this venue. This year was no exception.

The remarkable rise of "basketcase" prices continued at the British National Motorcycle Museum​ on Saturday March 2, when a new world auction record for a Brough Superior motorcycle​ was set at £425,500 ($561,556).

Bonhams' Stafford Motorcycle auctions are held each spring and autumn at the Staffordshire County Showgrounds in the United Kingdom, and these auctions invariably throw up some fascinating motorcycles.

The Barber Museum Auction held last weekend saw some remarkable motorcycles cross the auction block, some with great celebrity and movie provenance. The results were puzzling, and raise some interesting questions about celebrity provenance, whether it always applies, and whether it wears off.

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.

There are many elite automobile auctions in Europe each year, but few compare with Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale​. This year saw some exceptional cars and some remarkable bargains. We've picked out the very best on offer at Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale.

Rétromobile has been running since 1976, when the most expensive car in the world cost less than $100,000 and long before the term retro had become fashionable. It is one of those places where auctions truly can throw up some remarkable objets d'automotive art. This year it did not disappoint.

The motorcycle auction marketplace evolved rapidly at the year-defining Las Vegas auctions this year, both on a macro and micro level. Mecum's five day sale was the largest motorcycle auction ever held, while Bonhams set a new world record by fetching $979,000 for a 1951 Vincent Black Lightning.

This year the Autumn Stafford Sale seemed more eccentric than normal, with some extraordinary motorcycles selling for not very much, and at the other end of the scale, several of the most expensive two-stroke motorcycles ever sold at auction.

Monterey Car Week is all about cars but the auctions have always tended to include an array of the best motorcycles. This year with the car market well down and many motorcycles sold with no reserve, bargains were plentiful.