Pioneer motorcycles up for grabs
Rare old motorcycles were snapped up by collectors at Bonhams Paris sale
The first of February saw Dr Peter and Ulrike Bühner's rare collection of early motorcycles and cars up for sale at Bonhams Paris and what a collection it was! Just to illustrate how popular it was, the machines sold - and they were not the entire collection - fetched a total of €2.15 million - not bad for a days work!
Amongst many others there was an original 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller, the oldest known serial production motorcycle, which went for a mere €195,500.
Alongside that was a BMW 493cc RC32 the first production motorcycle model manufactured by BMW way back in 1924 when flappers were dancing in cloche hats and there was no internet - another planet.
Looking at pictures of these great old machines makes you wonder what the engineers who invented them would have thought if they could see the future and where these trailblazing machines were leading by way of the huge variety of modern motorcycles on offer today.
The buyers were keen enough though - the early BMW passed its estimate and sold for €143,750 - wow what a purchase for BMW's centenary year!
Another machine for sale which doubled its estimate was a c.1935 Indian 77.21 Model 402 Four. As an example of America’s last four-cylinder motorcycle, it went for a stonking €132,250, hmm I'll take two - what - there's only one!
Over 50 of the earliest motorcycles and cars, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries which had been collected gradually over forty years by motor vehicle enthusiasts Peter and Ulrike Bühner, were available at the sale and 98% ended up being sold.
Malcolm Barber, Chairman Emeritus, Bonhams Collector Cars, said:
“This was one of the most important private collections of pioneer motorcycles in Europe and Peter and Ulrike had also amassed interesting Veteran cars. Many of these had been acquired in the late 1980s and early 1990s by the Bühners at our previous sales."
Interesting to see all these machines together in one place and kind of a shame for the collection to be split up, maybe it should have been the start of a great motor museum, but there must be some happy buyers out there now. Which one would you have bought if money was no object?
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