Prototype CB750

Brings record price

One of four pre-production Honda CB750s built in 1968 (and one of only two remaining) fetched an amazing UK£161,000 (Aust$277,000) at the H&H Auction in Britain on March 4. This makes it the most expensive Japanese motorcycle ever sold at auction and far surpassed the pre-auction estimate of £35,000 – £40,000. The previous record for a CB750 was for a similar prototype sold in 2014 for US$148,000 on eBay. The motorcycle sold by H&H was sent to Honda GB prior to the official launch in 1969 and after doing the rounds of dealers, shows and journalist road testers, it was sold to the Earl of Denbigh who retained it until 1982, when it became part of a private collection. It was undergoing restoration when the owner passed away. The CB750 was not the only machine at the auction to be sold way beyond its estimate. A Honda Z50A Mini Trail, once owned by John Lennon, was knocked down for £57,000 (Aust $98,000). The owner bought the ‘Monkey Bike’ from a dealer in Hampshire who had purchased it from Lennon in 1971, and had owned it for 47 years at the time of the auction.