Bonhams presents landmark 2-day motorcycle sale led by significant private collections with extensive no-reserve entries

Alongside Barry Sheene’s previously-announced 1977 World-Championship winning Suzuki RG500 XR14, Bonhams|Cars has confirmed a standout Stafford Sale at The International Classic MotorCycle Show, sponsored by Carole Nash, on 25–26 April 2026, bringing to market one of the most significant and wide-ranging offerings of collectors’ motorcycles seen in recent years. 

The sale will be led by two major single-owner collections – The Connoisseur Collection – Part II and The David Plant Collection alongside the historically important Rex Judd Collection, offered from long-term family ownership, with 179 of the 246 lots will be offered without reserve. The sale combines museum-quality Grand Prix machinery, pioneering veteran motorcycles, and highly original road and competition machines – many presented without reserve.

Ben Walker, International Department Director of Bonhams Collectors’ Motorcycles, said: “This is one of the most compelling and diverse Stafford sales we have ever assembled. To present two major private collections entirely without reserve, alongside further significant entries from long-term ownership, creates genuine opportunity across every level of the market. From early pioneer machines to World Championship-winning Grand Prix bikes, the breadth and accessibility of this sale is exceptional.”

THE CONNOISSEUR COLLECTION – PART II (NO RESERVE)

The second instalment of the Connoisseur Collection continues one of the most internationally significant groups of racing motorcycles to come to auction in recent years. Spanning early Grand Prix innovation through to modern MotoGP-derived engineering, the collection offers a rare concentration of works machinery and historically important competition motorcycles combined with iconic road going machines from all eras.

Alongside Barry Sheene’s previously announced 1977 World Championship-winning works Suzuki RG500 XR14, headline entries include:

• Ex-works 1965 MV Agusta 500cc Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle
  (ex-Mike Hailwood / Giacomo Agostini; ex-John Surtees ownership)
  Estimate £160,000–220,000
• Ex-works c.1954 DKW RM350 Dreizylinder Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle
  Estimate £30,000–40,000
• 1954 NSU 247cc Sportmax Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle
  Estimate £12,000–18,000
• c.1956 FB Mondial 123cc Bialbero Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle
  Estimate £12,000–18,000
• 2002 Aprilia RS125R Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle
  The Arnaud Vincent World Championship-winning machine. Estimate £25,000–35,000
• 2015 Honda RC213V-S
  The closest a production motorcycle has come to a modern MotoGP machine.
  Estimate £60,000–100,000

THE DAVID PLANT COLLECTION (NO RESERVE)

The David Plant Collection offers a characterful and highly original group of early and Vintage-era motorcycles, with a particular emphasis on British marques and competition heritage – all offered without reserve.

Highlights include:

• 1914 Sunbeam 3½hp
  A Veteran-era example of Sunbeam’s early and highly regarded production. Estimate £12,000–18,000
• 1932 Sunbeam 500cc Model 90

A desirable overhead-valve sporting model, embodying Sunbeam’s blend of performance, refinement, and competition pedigree. Estimate £10,000–15,000

• 1926 HRD 499cc Model 90
  Rare Vintage-era machine from the marque founded by TT winner Howard Raymond Davies. Estimate £25,000–35,000
• 1924 Sunbeam 500cc Sprint Special (ex-Percy Evans)
  A charismatic and well-documented competition machine with period sprinting history. Estimate £10,000–15,000
• 1904 Ariel 2¾hp ‘No.1’
  A very early and highly significant veteran motorcycle from one of Britain’s pioneering manufacturers. Estimate £20,000–30,000
• 1912 Wartnaby & Draper 3½hp
  Rare and unusual early British motorcycle from a short-lived but fascinating manufacturer. Estimate £15,000–25,000
• 1938 Excelsior 500cc Manxman
  A desirable sporting model from the late Vintage/early post-Vintage era.
  Estimate £6,000–10,000
• c.1936 Norton 490cc International
  One of the most iconic British sporting motorcycles of the pre-war period.
  Estimate £12,000–18,000

THE REX JUDD COLLECTION

Offered directly from the Judd family, where most machines have remained in their custodianship for approximately 90 years, The Rex Judd Collection represents one of the most important offerings of pioneer and early motorcycles to come to market in recent decades. Rex Judd, a Brooklands-era competitor, assembled a remarkable collection of historically significant machines, many retained within the family for generations.

Highlights include:

• c.1902 Holden 1,172.8cc
  One of Britain’s earliest motorcycles, powered by a pioneering four-cylinder engine. Estimate £40,000–70,000
• c.1912 Pierce Four-Cylinder Model
  Among the first American four-cylinder motorcycles. Estimate £50,000–80,000
• c.1910 Wilkinson 676cc TAC Project
  A rare and highly unusual early British design, representing advanced pre-First World War engineering. Estimate £20,000–40,000
• c.1925 Douglas Brooklands Special
  A competition-inspired machine reflecting Douglas’ Brooklands heritage. Estimate £12,000–16,000

FURTHER IMPORTANT ENTRIES

The sale is further enhanced by a selection of significant individual consignments, spanning pioneer, pre-war, and modern competition machinery:

• 1939 Brough Superior 982cc SS80 Special
  A highly original and matching-numbers example of one of the most revered pre-war British motorcycles. Estimate £40,000–50,000
• 1936 Vincent-HRD 499cc Comet Series-A
  An early and highly significant Vincent model, representing the foundations of the marque’s legendary performance and engineering. Estimate £30,000–40,000
• 1956 Vincent 998cc Black Shadow Series D
  One of the most iconic high-performance motorcycles of all time, offered from a deceased estate. Estimate £30,000–40,000
• 1910 Harley-Davidson 494cc Model 6A
  An ultra-rare early single-cylinder machine, eligible for premier veteran events.
  Estimate £38,000–48,000
• Believed ex-Robert Dunlop, 1988 Honda VFR750R RC30
  Estimate £30,000–35,000
• 2019 Smiths Racing BMW S1000RR
  The ex-Peter Hickman machine, winner of the 2019 Isle of Man TT Superbike, Superstock TT, North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix – one of the most successful real-road racing motorcycles of the modern era. Estimate £30,000–35,000

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