S-22720-0-1

334The property of Richard Hammond1977 Honda GL1000 Gold WingRegistration no. WHO 833RFrame no. GL1-2039480Engine no. GL1E-2037979In a world grown accustomed to an excess of decadence on allfronts, it is hard to imagine the mixture of awe and disbelief thatgreeted the Honda Gold Wing on its arrival in 1974. ‘Motorcycleor sci-fi fantasy?’ was Bike magazine’s reaction. ‘Quite simply themost advanced motorcycle ever made,’ was Honda’s preferreddescription, and given the mind-boggling specification: 1,000cc flatfourengine, water cooling, belt-driven overhead camshafts, shaftdrive, triple disc brakes, etc, it was certainly complex if not, strictlyspeaking, that advanced. One of the fastest production motorcyclesof its day, the Gold Wing was described in Honda’s Stateside adsas ‘the epitome of what touring is all about’, and proved eminentlycapable of taking sales from both BMW and Harley-Davidson. Asowners began to fit more and more accessories - including trailersthe size of small caravans - engine capacity was increased first to1,100cc and then to 1,200cc to cope with the increasing demandsfor more power. Over the years the ‘Wing has continued to grow inengine capacity, overall size and complexity, which only serves tounderline the increasingly collectible original’s purity of form.BBC Television ‘Top Gear’ presenter and avid motorcycle collector,Richard Hammond purchased this GL1000 Gold Wing from hiscolleague James May in July 2013. Correspondence on file statesthat the machine spent much of its early life in storage, while thecurrent odometer reading is only circa 13,000 miles. Numerousinvoices on file testify to the fact that it has benefited from theattentions of some of the best in the business. Presented insuperb original condition and said to be a pleasure to use, themachine is offered with the aforementioned invoices, a quantity ofMoT certificates (most recent expired July 2014), old/current V5Cregistration documents, workshop manual and an owner’s manual.£4,000 - 6,000€5,600 - 8,400114 | the spring stafford saleBidders must satisfy themselves as to the description and condition of each lotprior to bidding. All lots are sold “as is/where is” with all defects and faults.