On Oct. 17, the eyes of the classic motorcycle world will be on Bonhams’ annual sale in Staffordshire, U.K., as 60 vintage motorcycles from the Lonati collection cross the block at the two-day auction. The collection is essentially a private museum of mostly American motorcycles, and it contains a number of gems that will approach the $50,000 and $100,000 barrier.
The Lonati collection hails from Brescia, Italy, and was started by Francesco Lonati with the purchase of a 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA. The collection quickly grew in size, eventually gaining a permanent home at a Santoni textile machine factory.
“This is an incredibly rare find — 60 fantastic collectors’ motorcycles, all carefully stored in the Brescia-based private museum of entrepreneur and CEO of the Santoni Group, Tiberio Lonati,” commented Ben Walker, international director at Bonhams Collectors’ Motorcycles. “Mr. Lonati loved what motorcycles represent, ‘complete freedom,’ the open road, something highly synonymous with U.S. motorcycle marque Harley-Davidson, which is perhaps why he had so many!”
More information about this auction is available here.
