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Bonhams bonanza L
eading classic bike auction house Bonhams is brewing up a three-day blockbuster at the Stafford County Showground and heading it with a machine that could set a new world record for a bike at auction. Running a three-day sale (Friday-Sunday 2-4 July) for the first time at the Stafford International Classic Motorcycle Show, Bonhams presents a “Holy Grail” 1940s AJS E90 Porcupine 500cc road race twin. It’s the first time an E90 Porcupine – so called because of the spike cooling fins on its cylinder head – has come to auction. Key members in AJS-Matchless circles think this machine has £1m potential. Bonhams list an estimate at £250,000-£300,000. Only four examples of the E90 were made at the AJS-Matchless Plumstead, London, factory, and
UK
the E90 has the kudos of winning the inaugural 1949 world 500cc road racing championship with rider Les Graham. It remains the only twin to have won the premier class. The example to be sold was owned by AJS works rider Ted Frend who scored the Porcupine’s first victory, winning the 1947 Hutchinson 100-mile road race at Dunholme Lodge, Lincolnshire. When he died in 2006 the machine passed to friend, neighbour, and classic bike collector Ken Senior (1928-2021), whose recent death has resulted in the machine coming to auction. BDN understands that Ted Frend had acquired enough Porcupine parts to build a complete bike and that Ken Senior had brought the bike up to what appears to be concours condition. The Porcupine is one of 400
This circa-1946 AJS E90 Porcupine could eclipse the current world auction record of £651,715 for a 1951 Vincent Black Lightning (Bonhams, Las Vegas, USA, January 2018)
machines collected by Mr Senior. Bonhams presents 94 of them for sale on Friday 2 July. Machines from other collections will be offered the same day bringing Friday’s total number of machines up to at least 133. Saturday 3 July presents at least 330 lots including spares, memorabilia and collector bicycles. Sunday 5 July sees a wide range of 205 classic motorcycles. Ben Walker, head of Bonhams motorcycle division says: “So
far we have more than 650 lots for Stafford, and entries are still coming in thick and fast. The standard of entries is extremely high so it’s always possible we may set a new auction record.”
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