In the footsteps of Old-timer On Four Wheels: $1 Million For Motorcycle

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Not only a Classic cars are priced – and old-timers on two wheels can reach a seven-digit sum at auctions. It’s no surprise that some preserved and rare examples of automotive history reach the value of tens of millions of dollars, but not even some classic motorcycles stand so badly. At the auction of the classic two-wheelers held ast weekend in Las Vegas, Vincent Black Lightning from 1951 changed the owner for as much as $929,000. It is one of only 30 made and 19 survived specimens after 67 years. Black Lightning is based on the legendary Black Shadow, which is considered to be the first supermotorcycle in history, which in its time has developed a speed of nearly 200 km/h. In relation to the aforementioned Shadow, the Black Lightning model had a boosted drive unit (from 55hp to 70hp), but also to a smaller weight (from 208 kg to 163 kg). A copy sold in Las Vegas was originally shipped to Australia, where Jack Ehret “knocked” it up to 227.7 km/h, achieving a new speed record at the time. Ehret kept the motorcycle in his ownership for the next half-century, and later it had two more owners before reaching the price of nearly a million dollars at Bonhams’ weekend auction.