The weird and wonderful for sale at Stafford

The highlights from the upcoming Bonhams auction

The weird and wonderful for sale at Stafford


Bonhams' sale at this month's Stafford show has already garnered a fair bit of publicity thanks to a couple of ex-Foggy Ducatis that will go under the hammer, but a detailed inspection of the auction catalogue (always a good way to dream away an hour or so) reveals there's more intriguing stuff to be bought there too.

Check out the near-mythical Drysdale Dryvtech 2x2x2, a one-off that gained endless magazine coverage in the early 1990s and has been sitting in the Donington museum for the last few years. Estimated at a very reasonable £4000-£6000, the unique creation of Aussie inventor Ian Drysdale – perhaps better known for his V8 superbike – uses a Maico 250cc two-stroke powering both the front and rear wheels via a hydraulic drive system. And as if that wasn't mad enough, he added two-wheel-steering, again hydraulically-activated, along with a hub-centre front suspension set-up. Apparently riding it takes "a bit of getting used to."

If that's too weird for your tastes, how about a beautiful Rothmans-coloured 1986 NS400R at £2800-£3500 (lot 443), or you could cash in on the BMW-inspired 2011 craze for six-cylinder engines with a 1984 Benelli Sei, estimated to take £5000-6000 (lot 463). Or if you want to turn heads and stomachs in equal measure what about a 1990 BMW K1, in the red and yellow, at £3500-£4500 – wonder why they haven't revived that paint scheme for the S1000RR?

At the top end of the market, race machines don't come much more special than Foggy's twice-TT-winning 1989 Honda RC30, expected to bring £50,000-£70,000. Or the ex-works (Xaus) and Renegade (Haga) Ducati 999 for £70k-£80k. Both of those are trumped by a 1957 Gilera 500 GP bike, expected to take as much as £85k, and a Brough Superior (how come there's always a Brough Superior at every auction – aren't they supposed to be rare?) at an estimated £120,000-£150,000.

If you're up for bluffing it there's a good looking Honda 250-4 GP bike replica, based on a 90s CBR250RR engine in a 1963 Honda CB77 frame, the style and sound should fool at least a few onlookers into believing you're riding a million-pound original and it's estimated at just £3000-£4000.

The sale's at the International Classic Motorcycle Show at Stafford on April 24. Check out Bonhams.com to see a full online catalogue. And let us know if you decide to buy the Drysdale!

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