Bonhams takes close to £3.5m at the Autumn Stafford Sale

1925 Brough Superior sand-racer ‘project’ sells for £264,500

Bonhams’ annual two-day Autumn Stafford Sale closed at the Classic

Motorcycle Mechanics Show at Stafford Showground in October with a staggering total of £3,479,800 raised over the weekend event.

The stars of the auction included a pack of Brough Superiors, which claimed the top four places among the ten biggest sales of the two-day Autumn Stafford Sale. The top spot went to an ex-C F Edwards, 1925 Brough Superior 981cc SS100 Sand Racer Project which, despite being completely dismantled, achieved more than double its estimate and sold to a UK buyer in the room for £264,500, the highest amount ever achieved for a dismantled Brough Superior. A 1933 Brough Superior 981cc SS100 Project sold for £161,000, while a 1924/1925 Brough Superior 981cc Project achieved £126,500.

There were also many significant single-owner collections included in the sale, most notably The Adrian Reed Collection, The Willowbrook Collection and The Mark Wilsmore Ace Cafe Collection which comprised more than 200 lots in total. Both the Willowbrook and the Wilsmore collections were 100% sold, while the Adrian Reed Collection achieved an impressive £546,307, including the c.1930 Henderson 1201cc KJ Streamline Four selling for £56,580, double its estimate, and the c.1919 Henderson 1147cc Model 2 Z Four realising £48,300.

James Stensel, head of motorcycle department UK, said: “Once again, the Bonhams motorcycle department has achieved exactly what it set out to – to sell the best machines on the market at the best prices.

“Our realistic estimates attracted bidders from across the globe, and bidding throughout was incredibly lively. Vintage projects performed particularly strongly, highlighting the continued interest in rewarding projects from the very best manufacturers. We are absolutely thrilled with the results of the sale, the success of

which underlines the vast breadth of the department’s knowledge. We look forward to our Spring Sale in April and continuing to consign the widest possible range of top machinery and automobilia.”