The Bonhams Motorcycle department’s second visit to the historic Grand Palais in Paris on Thursday 7th February was a resounding success, with €857,625 realised – more than double the department’s 2011 sale total.
Two headline collections realised a combined total of almost €600,000. Top-selling lot in the Garelli Grand Prix Collection was a 1926 Garelli 348cc Racing Motorcycle at €29,900, while a 1917 Indian 7hp Powerplus led the way among the bikes of the late Claude Lesellier, selling for €28,750.
Top motorcycle lots were a 1968 Egli-Vincent 998cc Racing Motorcycle at €40,250, a 1952 Vincent 998cc Series-C Rapide at €37,950, and a c.1941 Zündapp KS750 ‘Sahara’ Motorcycle Combination at €35,650.
Immediately after the auction, a 1925 Coventry-Eagle 980cc Flying-8 Sidevalve was sold for €40,090.
The entire auction – Bonhams’ second visit to the venue following the spectacular success of its debut sale in 2011 – realised just short of €13 million from 86 cars, 84 motorcycles and more than 100 lots of automobilia, with successful bidders from 27 countries worldwide.
Ben Walker, Director of the Bonhams Motorcycle Department, said: “After starting the year with the department’s most successful sale ever in Las Vegas, we are delighted to have once again beaten our previous sale total on our second visit to the Grand Palais in Paris.
“We now look ahead to our spring Stafford sale at the International Classic MotorCycle Show on Sunday 28 April, hopeful that we can continue this run of success.”
