Wander BSAs at Bonhams

George Wander was a BSA enthusiast, first and foremost, but pre-Second World War

Gold Stars were his thing. Two of his motorcycles are offered in Bonhams’ October Stafford sale on October 16. Bonhams’ Martin Heckscher explains:

“George Wander was a very good friend of mine, and he is greatly missed. Widely known as Rocket George, he was the world authority on BSA’s prewar M24 Gold Stars.

“Indeed, his website www. bsa-m24.co.uk remains the best and most accessible source of information regarding these fabulous machines. George’s most cherished motorcycles were his Rocket 3 which he had owned for 45 years, and his 1938 JM24 which he bought in Brooks’s auction at Stafford in April 2000. It is the second Gold Star ever manufactured by BSA, and the oldest surviving matching numbers example.”

The M24 left BSA right at the end of 1937, though it wasn’t road registered until May 1939, having spent the interim on display at Imperial Motors in Bedford. It was bought in 1947 by a Mr Lockwood, of Bedford, with its subsequent history all known and documented.

Offered without reserve, as is George’s Rocket 3, visit www.bonhams.com for more information, where it’s also possible to view the wonderful array of other machines in the sale, with a Ducati 750SS and several Vincents among the mouth-watering machinery up for grabs.