A 93-year-old vintage British motorcycle has sold for $338,000 at an online auction out of Melbourne on Sunday in an Australian first.
The sale price for the 1933 Brough Superior SS 100 motorcycle by Donington Auctions makes it the most valuable British motorcycle to sell at auction in the country, they say.
It is also the highest price for a motorcycle at auction in Australia for more than a decade.
“Today’s exceptional result highlights the ongoing strength of the collector motorcycle market, with rare and historically significant machines continuing to attract strong competition from enthusiasts and collectors alike, despite broader economic uncertainty,” Donington Auctions’ Cameron Sabine said.
“On behalf of our clients, we are delighted to have once again set new Australian auction records.”
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The auctioneer reports that the motorcycle was subject to a spirited bidding war before the hammer fell; it was bought by an unnamed private Australian collector.
It was also the second highest price ever paid for a motorcycle at auction in this country.
One of just seven hand-built in 1933, this was the first Brough Superior SS 100 to go up for auction here in over 30 years.
CLAIM TO BRITISH FAME
The motorcycle model was ridden, and made famous, by English Colonel T.E Lawrence (or ‘Lawrence of Arabia’) who helped to unify Saudi Arabian tribes against the Ottoman (Turkish) empires.
The auction house says the Brough Superior SS 100 is widely regarded by collectors as the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of motorcycles.
Just 283 were ever made, each built to order, powered by a 1000cc V-twin engine in a double-cradle frame, and sold with a guarantee of 100 mph plus performance.
The Donington Auctions example went to its first UK owner in early 1933 then came to Australia around 1960 where it spent many years stored in a wine cellar.
This British bike was restored by a South Australian collector, sold to a New Zealand collector then returned to Australia in 2023.
