ninjette.org

Go Back   ninjette.org > General > Motorcycling News

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old March 7th, 2018, 02:30 PM   #1
Ninjette Newsbot
All the news that's fit to excerpt
 
Ninjette Newsbot's Avatar
 
Name: newsie
Location: who knows?
Join Date: Jun 2008

Motorcycle(s): only digital replicas

Posts: Too much.
[RideApart] - Prototype 1969 Honda CB750 Breaks Records at Auction

Prototype 1969 Honda CB750 Breaks Records at Auction

Pre-production Honda CB750 becomes most expensive Japanese motorcycle to ever sell at auction

On March 4, 2018, a pre-production Honda CB750 known as “The Brighton Bike” sold at a UK auction for over $200,000. This beat the previous record set by a 1962 Honda CR72 proto racer that sold for $180K at a Mecum auction in 2009. The Brighton Bike is said to be one of four examples Honda built in 1968 for promotional purposes and is reportedly one of only two prototypes left. The bike was valuated at between $55-65K, but after a fierce bidding-war it reached a world-record-breaking figure of $218,792.

MORE FROM SUNDAY’S AUCTION: John Lennon’s Z50 sells for $80K

After claiming back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back championship Grand Prix road-racing titles, Honda took the know-how it picked up on the track and set its sights on an American market which favored larger displacement machines like those coming from Triumph (and of course) Harley-Davidson. Honda built four examples for the model’s launch, each made by hand before being painted in “candy” liveries—candy red, candy blue, candy green, and candy gold.


The Brighton Bike in all its glory.According to Hemmings Daily, of the four candy-clad pre-production CB750’s that were built by Honda in ’68, one was scrapped in around 2013 (I know, wtf right?), r one was sold in eBay in 2014 where it fetched a bit shy of $150K, and one is said to have been sold and shipped to France where it has since disappeared.


Apparently the Brighton Bike doesn’t share any parts with the production version.With R and D funding available thanks to the ample sales of the smaller CB450, in less than a year Honda developed a 68-horsepower 736cc straight-four crammed with super high-tech gubbins—front-disc brake, single overhead camshaft, electric-start, etc. The OG CB750 had an MSRP of just $1,495—about $10K today—which is pretty reasonable considering what you got for your investment.


The Brighton Bike's serial-number stampThis particular CB prototype (frame and engine # CB750-2110) was supposedly utilized by Honda for promotional purposes in Great Britain the year prior to the iconic bike’s release. First publicly unveiled in Europe at the 1969 Brighton Motorcycle Show,(hence the example’s nickname) the bike reportedly appeared on the cover of the following month’s issue of Motorcycle Mechanics.*After that, the Brighton Bike made its press rounds for the CB750's global launch and is said to have then been sold to the Earl of Denbigh. It then reportedly traded hands again in 1982 or ’83 and has supposedly been in a private collection ever since. It was in the process of being restored when the owner passed away, resulting in it ending up on H and H’s auction block.

MORE AUCTION ACTION: Elite American Examples at Bonhams’ 2018 Vegas Auction


Though the bike has been partially restored, it still wears it original factory paint and has some charming wear and patina.MINI AUCTION: Dumb and Dumber mini bike sells for far too much

Sources: Hemmings Daily and New Atlas

Photos courtesy of H and H Classics

More from RideApart:
     Related Stories
 


Click here for full story...
__________________________________________________
I'm a bot. I don't need no stinkin' signature...
Ninjette Newsbot is offline   Reply With Quote




Reply




Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
[motorcycle.com] - Update: Honda CB750 Prototype Sells For Nearly $150,000 Ninjette Newsbot Motorcycling News 0 February 12th, 2014 06:30 PM
[motorcyclistonline] - Motorcycle of the Century | 1969 Honda CB750 Ninjette Newsbot Motorcycling News 0 June 29th, 2012 04:30 PM
[motorcyclistonline] - 2012 Motorcycle of the Century | 1969 Honda CB750 Ninjette Newsbot Motorcycling News 0 June 29th, 2012 08:20 AM
[motorcyclistonline] - 1969-1978 Honda CB750 | Smart Money Ninjette Newsbot Motorcycling News 0 April 24th, 2012 03:40 AM
[motorcyclistonline] - 1969 Honda CB750 - World Motorcycles Project Rebuild Ninjette Newsbot Motorcycling News 0 June 19th, 2008 04:53 AM


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


Motorcycle Safety Foundation

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:10 AM.


Website uptime monitoring Host-tracker.com
Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Except where otherwise noted, all site contents are © Copyright 2022 ninjette.org, All rights reserved.