These motorcycles went to auction at The Spring Stafford Sale at The International Classic MotorCycle Show in April 2023. Have you seen how much they sold for? Take a look here…
The 1931 Olympia Motor Cycle Show Model, 1931 Brough Superior 1,000cc SS100
Sold for £281,750 inc. premium
“This Brough Superior SS100, with spring frame number ‘1042 S’, was first registered on 31st January 1931 and is recorded in the factory records as a ‘Show Model’. ‘Show’ meant an enhanced finish, the mudguards being chromed with a gold-lined black centre, just like the wheels. A letter from George Brough Ltd, signed by General Manager T E Ball, states that the machine ‘was despatched from the Works on January 2nd 1932 to Messrs Rowland Smith Motors Ltd, and was a SS100 Spring Frame which had been prepared for the 1932 Show’ (it is assumed he meant the 1931 show). Interestingly, the frame number is only a single digit distant from T E Lawrence’s final Brough, ‘GW 2275’.”
The ex-works, Mike Hailwood, 1960 Ducati 125cc Desmodromic ‘Barcone’ Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle
Sold for £138,000 inc. premium
“Ducati’s first Grand Prix single was the 125cc Bialbero (Double Overhead Camshaft). This offered improved performance over the single-overhead-camshaft Marianna, but reliability was questionable at high revs. Valve-to-piston clearance was critical with the higher compression ratios now required, compounded by the problem of valve float and the wide included valve angle of 80 degrees. During his days at university, Taglioni had shown interest in desmodromic, or positive valve actuation, and had proposed such a system while at Mondial in 1953. Mondial’s conservative Count Boselli would not permit Taglioni to pursue this path, but it was different at Ducati. Almost as soon as he joined the company he began to work on a desmodromic cylinder head for the Gran Sport, and during 1955 produced the first desmodromic prototype. Taglioni’s faith in the concept was also reassured by the success of the desmodromic Mercedes W196 Grand Prix and 300 SLR sports cars during 1954 and 1955.”
