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Two-speed market
Auction update – May 2025
(Guy 'Guido' Allen)
A
couple of key results from a recent auction by Donington in
Australia show there is very much a two-speed
market at work. Absolute
gems still get good money, while otherwise
decent examples don't score so well. This
reflects what is going on overseas.
Our examples are a 1982 Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica
900, which was in unused condition and stored in a
Melbourne mansion pretty much from the day it was
delivered by the dealership to the owner.
Unused or ultra-low mile motorcycles are the proverbial
catnip for collectors. This example fetched a top bid of
Au$52,150 (US$33,500, GB£25,200). See the description
below.
Offered in the same sale was an exceptionally tidy 1969
Norton Commando 750. You might argue it was not as
desirable as the Ducati, but nevertheless on the
must-have list for a collector. It was a nicely restored
example rather than unused, and went for a comparatively
modest Au$16,000 (US$10,300, GB£7700). More below...
1982
Ducati MHR 900 auction description
This
brand new,
never ridden, Ducati 900 Mike Hailwood Replica is a true
time machine, and in
exactly the same condition as when it left Ron Angels’
Ducati dealership in
Bridge Road, Richmond in 1982.
It is
now
nearly fifty years since Mike Hailwood came out of
retirement to win the 1978
TT Formula One race at the Isle of Man on an NCR
Ducati 900. Against the odds
the then 38-year-old Hailwood won the race at an
average speed of 174 km/h,
with a fastest lap of 177 km/h. After an absence of 11
years it had been, in
his own words, “the easiest TT I can remember”.
The
Ducati
factory was so elated by this victory that, as they
had done six years earlier
after the Imola 200, they promised street Mike
Hailwood Replicas. In typical
Ducati fashion they took some time to appear, but they
arrived later in 1979.
The
one-piece
full fairing replicated style of Hailwood’s NCR 900,
as did the tank and seat
unit.
The engines were standard 900
SS, but with the optional 40mm Dell’Orto carburettors
and Conti mufflers. With
a 9.3:1 compression ratio, they claimed 72 horsepower
at 7500rpm.
See our
Hailwood Mille profile
1969
Norton Commando 750 auction description
In 1937 Edward
Turner effectively ended the reign of the single with
the creation of the
Triumph Speed Twin. This soon became the British
industry standard, forcing
other British manufacturers followed suit.
Norton
responded
with its own version, the 500cc Model 7 in 1948, and
over the next 27
years this design grew to 600cc, 650cc, 750cc, and
finally 850cc. During that
period the company changed hands several times,
absorbed by AMC in 1953, and
becoming Norton-Villiers in 1966.
In a
world
prior to the big-bore Japanese onslaught, the Norton
Commando was an instant
success. It was light, offered good power, excellent
handling, and above all
didn’t vibrate, except while idling. Even when the
Japanese 750s arrived, the
Norton remained popular because of its superior
handling.
The
Commando
possessed endearing qualities. These were a torquey
twin cylinder engine,
moderate weight, excellent handling, and above all,
timeless looks. The Norton
Commando exemplifies the archetypal British
motorcycle.
See our Norton
Commando profile
And the
Commando 850 that was in our shed
***
Donington Auctions in Australia
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