Bonhams auctions Archives — Bikernet Blog

Bonhams digital auction platform Expands into Europe

from https://www.bonhams.com/press_release/32734/ The Market by Bonhams digital auction platform is set to launch across Europe in September, marking the latest expansion for one of the leading and fastest-growing online marketplaces for classic and collectible car and motorcycle auctions. The Market by Bonhams EU launches for bids on Wednesday 8 September 2021, with the first sales closing on Wednesday 15 September 2021. It marks the latest development in Bonhams Motoring’s ‘always on’ motoring strategy which has a growing focus on daily online auctions. Since its conception in 2016, The Market has become one of the most successful market offerings, combining traditional auction practices on an innovative, exciting digital platform. Delivering industry-leading expertise across the platform’s premier digital offering, The Market has a proven track record for delivering results, service and quality. By expanding the platform internationally, The Market is meeting growing appetite and demand from buyers and sellers across Europe to reach a wider, more global audience. Launching The Market by Bonhams internationally marks a natural progression following the success of the platform in the UK. In 2020, The Market sold £10.6m of hammer value over 640 auctions, while in this current year in the UK, it is working successfully towards a hammer value of £20m. The Market has also had a sale rate of more than 90% for the last four years. In July 2021 the platform sold an ultra-rare metallic blue 1989 Ferrari F40, which had become a worldwide social media star, for a record-breaking £1,000,500, the first seven-figure result for an online platform in the UK and Europe. Users worldwide will be able to benefit from using the same platform that has been successfully deployed in the UK, with the added enhancement of the platform being translated in to multiple languages. All of the established benefits of The […]

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1949 Indian-Vincent Factory Prototype — Bonhams Las Vegas Auction

Frame no. RC4392 Engine no. F10AB/1/2492 • One of a kind, ultra-rare motorcycle • Matching numbers example • Authenticated and recognized by the Vincent Owners Club The year 1949 was a tumultuous one for the Indian Motocycle Company in Springfield, Massachusetts. The company was beleaguered on several fronts, most entirely due to finances. President of Indian, Ralph Rogers, was envisioning the future of motorcycling belonged to lightweights, like the Japanese manufacturers would confirm in a few short years, but his Torque series motorcycles were six months delayed leading to a loss of income, plus the manufacturing costs were double the estimated costs. Add injury to insult, the British currency was devalued so any advantage of the new lightweights against the English motorcycles was erased. Rogers invited Phil Vincent of the Vincent Company to visit Indian during his tour of the U.S. dealers where the two men devised a concept to create a blend of the Indian Chief and the Vincent motorcycles. The compromise would have helped Indian with a modernization of the venerable Indian Chief with less investment funds, and also would have helped the Vincent by supplying engines. The plan entailed two prototypes; one would be a Chief with a Vincent engine installed and the second would be a standard Vincent Rapide customized with Indian parts recognizable to the Indian faithful. The proposal would supply 50 units of the former prototype, the Vindian, per week and the delivery of 20 units per week of the latter prototype, the Indian-Vincent. Sounds good on paper but Indian never followed through on the plan following the prototype stage, leading Vincent to enter into receivership due to purchasing materials for the business plan that would never happen. Vincent engineer, Phil Irving took on the project of the Indian and Vincent combinations. He completed