1895 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller up for auction at The International Classic MotorCycle Show, Stafford on 25th April 2010
AN ORIGINAL example of the world's first motorcycle is to be put up for auction at The International Classic Motorcycle Show, Stafford on 25th April 2010.
The twin-cylinder, four-valve, water-cooled, 1488cc Hildebrand & Wolfmüller was built in 1895 – is expected to reach as around £60,000 when it goes up for sale. Restoration experts say the new owner will need to spend a further substantial amount of money if they decide to restore the machine to its original glory.
There are no hard figures as to how many machines were produced from the factory: some say over 2,000 were built, while others suggest the figure's as low as 800. The number of surviving examples are likely to be substantially less.
The example Bonhams are offering, which hasn't been started for almost 80 years, has been in the ownership of the vendor's family in the USA since the early 1930s.
