Fine art for sale
On April 25-26 at the Stafford Classic Bike Show, 313 bikes from the Museo Morbidelli will go under the hammer. They range from immaculate restorations to incomplete prototypes and unrestored barn finds, which Giancarlo Morbidelli collected over a 40-year period.
The family is retaining the majority of the Morbidelli racers, but has released two for the sale: the 1974 Morbidelli 125GP racer (estimate: £80,000-120,000) ridden by the late, great Angel Nieto to second place in that year’s Spanish and German GPS (1). The second (2) is the first Morbidelli 250GP machine on which Giacomo Agostini had a one-off ride in August 1976 at Misano, finishing second (estimate: £60,000-100,000).
The many historic Benellis are headed by the 250cc dohc single (3) which Dario Ambrosini rode to the 1950 World Championship (estimate: £120,000180,000) and the 1964 Benelli 250cc four (4), ridden and autographed by the late two-time world champion Tarquinio Provini (estimate £80,000-120,000).
Arguably the greatest jewel in the collection is the prototype 1964 Ducati 125cc four-cylinder GP racer (5) (estimate £400,000-600,000, but many expect it to be the first million-dollar motorcycle to be sold at auction, despite never having raced). Created by Ducati’s chief engineer Ing. Fabio Taglioni, it was sidelined following initial tests and disappeared for several decades, before its engine (which had been on display in a technical museum in what was then Leningrad) appeared, post-glasnost, in Latvia. Having acquired it and brought it back to Italy in 1989, Giancarlo Morbidelli was later able to reunite it with the original chassis, which had reappeared in the former Yugoslavia, in what is now Croatia! Giancarlo completed rebuilding the legendary Ducati 125 four in 2000.
The collection of Museo Morbidelli artefacts also comprises a huge array of motorcycling memorabilia including Giancarlo’s own reference library, trophies, signs and other such items. The majority of the collection will be offered at no reserve. bonhams.com/auctions/26111/