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Bonhams classic motorcycle auction features '$80,000' 1906 Indian Camelback
This $80,000 estimated 1906 Indian is coming to Bonhams' next Las Vegas classic motorcycle auction
Paul Fraser Collectibles, Friday 30 December 2011
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A rare 1906 Indian Camelback is among the standout lots at Bonhams' classic motorcycle auction in Las Vegas on January 12.
The vehicle, which is clad in rust and hasn't been ridden since the 1970s, has a high-end estimate of $80,000.
This is one of the earliest Indians. Just 1,698 Camelbacks were made, making this item a real rarity.
"This motorcycle is in such demand because of its condition, and to restore it would actually take value off," Bonhams' head of motorcycles, Ben Walker, told the UK's Daily Mail newspaper.
"It would have been a quick machine with a fair turn of speed. And no brakes on early motorcycles were much good - they were the same design as bicycle brakes."
 'To restore it would actually take value off': the 1906 Indian Camelback |
It is joined at Bonhams' auction by a 1907 Camelback, restored in the 1930s. That too has a high-end estimate $80,000.
Massachusetts based Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company is perhaps best-known for its Chief range of classic motorcycles. These were produced between 1922 until the company's demise in 1953.
Las Vegas is the place to be for classic motorcycle collectors in January...
Running concurrently with the Bonhams auction is Auctions America's three-day sale between January 12 and 14.
It will feature an original 1917 Harley-Davidson - the only 'Model T Magneto' model of its kind produced that year.
As Ben Walker recently told Paul Fraser Collectibles in his exclusive interview with us, we are at a unique point in the history of motorcycle collecting...
"At the moment we are seeing the first generation of motorcycle collectors' property coming back onto the market, as people sadly pass away," he said.
We'll bring you all the action from Las Vegas, next month.
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