Japanese record buster

Made for just one year in extremely limited numbers, the Honda RC213 V-S was billed as the closest thing you could buy to a street legal MotoGP bike in 2015. It was based on the ‘Open’ class machines that were produced to boost entries in the premier class and it is believed only about 250 were made. At the recent Collecting Cars on-line auction, this British-domiciled example with only one mile on the odometer, in its original packing crate and still clad in its factory bubble wrap, saw 63 bidders vying for the honour of ownership.

The winning bid reached £182,500 (approx. AU$344,500) – a new record for a Japanese motorcycle sold at auction. The RC213 came with the optional HRC Race Kit and titanium exhaust system which boosted power from 150hp to a claimed 214hp at 13,000 rpm and dropped the weight by 10kg. The 90º V-4 engine used conventional valve springs instead of pneumatic operation and steel instead of carbon fibre for the brake discs. When released in Australia in mid-2015, the RC213 V-S (without the race kit) was listed at $244,000. ■