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Dunlop Hondas head high-end auction, Oct 8
October 14, 2025 – Guy 'Guido'
Allen
Two race-winning Hondas ridden by the legendary Joey Dunlop were auctioned by Bonhams on October 12.
They were: the 1989
Ulster GP RC45, and the 1988 TT
RC30.
The pair are from the Dunlop family
collection and each carry an estimate of
Au$160-200,000 (US$110-130,000, GB£80-100,000,
€90-115,000).
The RC30 (above) was the star of the show,
having won the F1 and Senior TT at the Isle of Man in
1988 – an achievement that grew Dunlop's already
considerable international reputation. It sold for a
staggering Au$271,000
(US$175,000, GB£132,250, €152,000) including buyer
premium.
There were two RC30
road bikes on offer, which sold for Au$44,900
(US$29,000, GB£21,850, €25,000) and Au$61,400
(US$39,600, GB£29,900, €34,300).
Meanwhile the RC45 race bike sold for Au$189,000 (US$122,000, GB£92,000, €106,000).
Another high-profile lot was a rare 1937 Vincent-HRD Series A Rapide in nice condition backed up by a very good restoration history. It came with solid provenance and still ran its original January 1, 1938, registration.
It had an estimate of Au$370-490,000
(US$240-320,000, GB£180-240,000, €210-270,000). The
sale price was at the lower end of the estimate:
Au$373,000 (US$241,000, GB£181,700, €209,000).
See the
Series C Rapide in our shed
A 1929 Brough
Superior SS100 JTOR was offered, with an
estimate of Au$320-410,000 (US$210-270,000,
GB£160-200,000, €180-230,000). It went for Au$378,000
(US$244,000, GB£184,000, €211,000).
See our
Brough Superior profile
For Italophiles, the ultimate road-going
Ducati was on offer: a 'green frame' 750 SS from 1974.
This example
was real but perhaps not ideal and was carrying an
estimate of Au$240-330,000 (US$160-210,000,
GB£120-160,000, €140-180,000).
It went for Au$212,500 (US$137,000,
GB£103,500, €119,000).
See our
Ducati Imola 1972 feature
A lot that caught our attention after the
sale was a 2000 MV
Agusta 750 F4S monoposto, owned by long-term
(40-plus years) international bike writer (Sir) Alan
Cathcart.
Signed by designer Massimo Tamburini and then-MV Agusta CEO Claudio Castiglioni, it had just over 2400 miles (3900km) on the odometer. It sold for Au$21,250 (US$13,700, GB£10,350, €11,900).
See the F4
1000 Nero in our shed
For us, the potential bargain of the sale
was this, a
tidy-looking 2000 Honda VTR1000 SP-1 with some
relatively minor issues with the ID, and had sat
unused since 2019 with 13,600 miles (21,900km) on the
odometer.
It sold for Au$12,750 (US$8240,
GB£6210, €7130).
See our
Honda VTR1000 SP series profile
See the
full sale catalogue and results
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