Auction Watch: The Shuttleworth Summer Sale 2024
With the Shuttleworth Summer Sale just a month away, we take a look at the catalogue and pick out some of our highlights
Iconic Auctioneers have released the catalogue of bikes going into the Shuttleworth Summer Sale 2024, and there’s a bit of everything, from a dinky Raleigh Wisp to the legendary first-generation Yamaha R1.
We love nothing more than trawling an action catalogue and looking at lots we’re never going to buy, and we get the feeling you do too. So, here are our top picks for the Shuttleworth Summer Sale, which is taking place Sunday 14th July.
1989 Gilera Nuovo Saturno Bialbero 492cc
First up, a decent example of Gilera’s oddball, and now quite rare, Nuovo Saturno Bialbero lightweight sportbike. It only had about 40bhp when it was new, and the chances are most of those will have bolted from the stable, but that doesn’t stop this bike from being one of the most interesting you’ll see at your local bike meet.
The bike was mainly down to two men, Gilera engineer Sandro Colombo, and Japanese technician, N Hagiwara. The result of the two men’s work was a sub-140kg machine, built around a beautiful trellis frame, with high-quality suspension and braking components.
This example is in ‘good’ running condition, unrestored and with an MOT certificate. Its estimate is between £4,000 and £6,000.
1987 Harris Suzuki F1 GSXR750 750cc
From one Italian and Japanese collaboration to a British and Japanese one and this fantastic-looking Harris-framed GSXR750. Harris frames were a regular in UK and international competitions in the 70s and 80s, and the brand, Harris Performance, is still going today as part of the Eicher Motors Groups (the same Eicher that owns Royal Enfield).
This bike is one from the Harris heyday and was built at the factory as a rolling chassis in 1987 and road-registered in 1989. It’s been stored for some time so will likely need to work before taking it on the road again, although with a guide price of between £15,000 to £20,000, you might just want to park it under the stairs and gawp at it!
1957 Heinkel Tourist 103 A0 174cc
No, you probably won’t see another one on the road and yes, it is the same Heinkel that made planes for the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
Dubbed ‘The Rolls Royce of scooters’ the Heinkel Tourist 103 boasts a four-stroke engine, a four-speed gearbox, around 10bhp and a top speed of around 70mph. Today it’s one of the most eye-catching scooters you can buy, and with its dustbin fairings looks totally different to the Italian scooters of the same era.
This example is UK-registered (imported from Holland in 2021), has undergone an engine restoration at a Heinkel specialist, and is MOT-exempt. The guide price for this piece of post-war exotica is between £3,000 and £5,000.
1982 Laverda Jota 180 Series II 981cc
I’ve got a massive soft spot for a Jota, so this tidy-looking bike has got my full attention. First up, it’s a matching numbers bike, which is always a winner, and more than that it’s had the same owner for the last 33 years.
It’s also got a very realistic 16,000 miles on the clock, so while it's definitely not a show queen, it has been ridden and enjoyed meaning that any niggles would hopefully have got sorted out over the years. The bike also comes history file with authenticity letters, old V5s, old MOTs, numerous receipts and magazine articles, including one from the November 1997 issue of Classic Bike magazine.
The guide price for this bike is between £8,000 and £10,000, which seems about one the money - but still too much for me, sadly.
1997 Ducati 916 Senna II 916cc
The month of May is always a poignant one for racing fans of two and four-wheels, as it is the month the world of Formula One lost one of its biggest names; Ayrton Senna. He was also, as is widely reported, a huge motorcycle fanatic. This bike is the result of the love that Senna had for the fabled Ducati brand, and it is, of course, the stunning 916 Senna.
This bike is number 239 of the 300 bikes produced in 1997, shows 11,500 miles on the clock, and was supplied new to the UK. It also still comes with all its original handbooks, keys, paddock stand, cover, Haynes manual and period sales brochure.
The bike was running before being stored in the owner's garage for a period of two years, and while it has had new tyres fitted, the vendor highlights some recommissioning work before taking it back on the road. The guide price is between £18,000 and £20,000
You can check out all the other items in the Shuttleworth Summer Sale on the official website.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
