Summer of love for the ’70s
Enthusiasm for Japanese classics from the era of long hair and platform boots on the rise
Despite the ongoing spectre of Covid still looming over live events, Silverstone Auctions’ first bikeonly sale, on the Friday preceding the Silverstone Classic event, proved a great success. Backing up the results from their inaugural bike sale back in May, 63 lots were on offer and, when the dust settled, 70 per cent of them had been sold.
A beautifully restored 1975 Kawasaki Z1-B was certainly one of the highlights of the sale – underlining how interest in Japanese classics of the ’70s has ramped up over recent years. A few years ago, only the best examples of first-year Z1s could have hoped to match the £16,875 achieved by the Candy Super Blue stunner. Restored using mostly original parts and featuring the rare date-stamped original Takasago wheel rims, the bike had only seen minimal use since its restoration.
And there were plenty more lots underlining the rise of the ’70s classics. Another big Zed, this time a 1976 Z900 A4, changed hands for £14,625, while a lovely 1975 Kawasaki H2C triple made £12,038, and a restored 1977 Yamaha FS1-E in Baja Brown sold for £6525. There seems to be no end to the demand for quality examples of Yamaha’s iconic sports moped.
If British iron was your thing, though, there was still plenty of machines in the sale to tempt you. A 1925 Sunbeam Model 5 ‘Light Solo’ in mostly original condition achieved the highest hammer price, making £10,125, but there were plenty of good value everyday classics to go at, too. A firstyear 1961 BSA B40 in good, original condition sold for £2025 – and, if you fancied a twin, an export model 1969 BSA A50 Royal Star, ready to ride, looked well worth its £3500 selling price.
On the Sunday of the event, five machines from the private collection of TV personality Richard Hammond were offered, with no reserve. The pick of the bunch was probably a lovely, 1932 Velocette MKI KSS, which sold for £9225, although his 1976 Kawasaki Z900A4 also did very well, making £15,750 and a Banbury-eligible 1927 Sunbeam Model 2 fetched £7087.
Overall, this sale represented an excellent return to bikes – and the live sale format - for Silverstone Auctions. We look forward to their next motorcycle sale on November 12 at the Classic Motor Show with interest. silverstoneauctions.com