bonhams

The 500,000’th Triumph courtesy of Bonhams!

I bought a first year Speed Triple back in 1995. I remember a lot of friends saying that I’d be orphaned when the company would inevitably failed. Ha. They’ve sure come a long way since then!

Thanks again to Katherine Boyle at Bonhams for the great photo and background information! You bikes are always very well researched.

BONHAMS TO SELL THE 500,000TH TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLE AFTER ITS TOUR OF BRITAIN WITH ROSS NOBLE

PROCEEDS FROM SALE TO GO TO ‘RIDERS FOR HEALTH’ CHARITY

Bonhams are to sell Triumph Motorcycles’ 500,000th production bike since 1990 after comedian and keen biker, Ross Noble, took it on a tour of Britain. The uniquely liveried Speed Triple is estimated to fetch £5,000-7,000 when it is auctioned on Friday 1st July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Between 24-30th May, Ross rode the motorcycle on his ‘Sit Down Tour’, asking bike fans and Twitter followers to guide him on a trip to find the best of biking Britain. During the week he visited some of the finest biking routes in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as stopping off to visit two Triumph dealerships in Reading, Manchester and Newcastle.

Carrying VIN number 500,000 and sporting a one-off red, white and blue paint scheme, created using a brand new production technique, Ross’s Speed Triple is destined to become a collectors item.

Funds raised from the sale of the motorcycle will be going to the charity, Riders for Health. The charity provides motorcycle transport for health workers in Africa, thereby making it possible for millions of people to receive regular, reliable health care, often for the first time in their lives.

The re-emergence of Triumph has been one of British manufacturing industry’s relatively few success stories of recent times, an achievement all the more remarkable when one considers that the company has grown from nothing to rank alongside the best from Japan and Europe in only 20 years. In many market sectors Triumph’s offerings are recognised as the finest available and none more so than the iconic Speed Triple, which has regularly come out top in group tests of ‘factory street-fighters’ ever since its introduction in 1994. As one of Triumph’s most successful models, it was only fitting that a Speed Triple should be the landmark 500,000th motorcycle to roll off the production line since the Hinckley factory opened in 1990.

Ben Walker, Head of Bonhams Motorcycle Department, comments, “It is always a pleasure to be able to raise funds for the fantastic Riders for Health – in this case with the sale of an instant collectors’ motorcycle.”

http://www.bonhams.com/motorcycles

For further press information regarding the auction please contact Katherine Boyle on 0207 468 8363 or Katherine.boyle@bonhams.com / press@bonhams.com

For sale enquiries please contact Ben Walker on 08700 273616 or ben.walker@bonhams.com

For further information on Ross Noble’s tour, please contact St John White or David Price at Prova Public Relations on 01926 776 900 or email stjohnw@provapr.co.uk or davidp@provapr.co.uk.

About Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to http://www.bonhams.com (February 2010).

About Triumph
First established in 1902 and now based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, Triumph Motorcycles is the largest British-owned automotive manufacturer, producing around 50,000 bikes per year.

At the heart of Triumph’s philosophy is a commitment to developing truly unique motorcycles that offer a blend of distinctive design, intuitive handling and performance. The innovation and engineering passion that gave birth to the iconic Bonneville of the 60s has today created a broad range of bikes suited to all motorcycle riders, including the striking 2.3 litre Rocket III, the unmistakable Speed Triple and the SuperSports Daytona 675.

With an impressive 2011 product portfolio in place, including two brand new adventure bikes, and a strong future model development programme in place, Triumph is set to continue to enhance its status in the market place.

Triumph currently employs around 1,200 personnel worldwide and has offices in the UK, America, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Benelux, plus a network of independent distributors. Triumph has manufacturing facilities in Hinckley, Leicestershire and Chonburi, Thailand.

Another great auction bike from Bonhams Auction House.

Thank you once again to Katherine Boyle for the fantastic Vincent photo.

BONHAMS MOTORCYCLE DEPARTMENT REVS AN IMPRESSIVE LINE-UP OF MOTORCYCLES AT ITS BANBURY RUN AUCTION

SALE INCLUDES A LARGE SELECTION OF TRIALS AND MOTO-CROSS MACHINES

Bonhams third annual sale of collectors’ motorcycles on 18th June, held in conjunction with the VMCC’s Banbury Run at Bonhams Midlands base in Kidlington, Oxfordshire features a large and eclectic selection of machines.

The Banbury Run is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious gatherings of Vintage motorcycles and there are many in the Bonhams auction eligible to enter this famous event. Among them is Lot 186: a 1911 Triumph 3½hp (£11,000-13,000), Lot 177: a 1922 Triumph 550cc Model H (£4,500-5,000) and Lot 187: a 1928 AJS 498cc Model K9 De Luxe estimated to sell for £6,000-8,000.

As always, the popular Vincent marque is well represented in the auction with a c.1950 Vincent 998cc Black Shadow/Rapide (Lot 190, £30,000-35,000), a 1952 Vincent 499cc Comet (£9,000-12,000) and a 1949 Vincent-HRD 500cc Meteor (£8,000-12,000) just a few of the examples on offer.

The demand for older trials and moto-cross machines has always been high, with riders of all ages taking part in ‘Pre-65’ and ‘Twin-Shock’ events. This auction sees a remarkable number of these machines on offer. The dirt bike line-up is headed by Lot 206, Jim Sandiford’s 1970 ISDT Gold Medal-winning, Cheney Triumph (£9,000-12,000). Other examples include Lot 197, a 1957 Ariel 499cc HT5, arguably one of the most capable of the ‘old school’ trials irons (£5,000-7,000) and Lot 204, a c.1965 ‘Petite’ Metisse fitted with a 410cc AJS Stormer engine (£5,000-6,000).

BMW motorcycles on offer include Lot 189, an unrestored 1938 597cc R66 ripe for restoration (£7,000-10,000) and a recently restored ex-French police 1969 594cc R60/2 (£7,000-9,000).

Ben Walker, Head of Bonhams Collectors’ Motorcycle Department, comments,

“It is a privilege and a pleasure to be holding another sale of Collectors’ Motorcycles in association with the VMCC and its world famous Banbury Run. The team looks forward to welcoming you back to the wonderful surroundings of our Oxford salerooms for another successful event. Please be sure to attend The Banbury Run on Sunday 19 June (The Heritage Motor Museum, Gaydon) for a magnificent display of Vintage motorcycles and riders, not forgetting to visit the Bonhams hospitality tent where the motorcycle team will be on hand to discuss, in confidence, any aspect of buying or selling motorcycles at our auction sales.”

http://www.bonhams.com/motorcycles

For sale enquiries please contact Ben Walker on 08700 273616 or ben.walker@bonhams.com

For further press information please contact Katherine Boyle on 0207 468 8363 or Katherine.boyle@bonhams.com / press@bonhams.com