The works Honda RC173 that Mike Hailwood rode to the 1966 350cc World Championship goes up for auction on November 15. Iconic Auctioneers will offer the four-cylinder factory racer at its Iconic Motorcycle Sale during the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham, England. Honda built the machine for Hailwood’s 350cc Grand Prix campaign, and it is the only one of its kind. Iconic Auctioneers expects the hammer price will be at least £750,000 ($1 million).
The Bike Honda Built for Hailwood
The RC173 is powered by a 349cc air-cooled DOHC inline-four. Honda rated it at over 61 horsepower at 13,500 rpm, with four Keihin carburetors, a six-speed gearbox, and a dry clutch.
Hailwood won six Grands Prix on the RC173 in 1966: the West German, French, Dutch, Czechoslovakian, Finnish, and Ulster rounds. He finished the season ahead of MV Agusta’s Giacomo Agostini and Aermacchi’s Renzo Pasolini.
Where the RC173 Has Been Since 1966
Hailwood kept the Honda when the season ended and rode it again in 1967 at invitation meetings, including Mallory Park and Oulton Park. The bike later joined the Wheatcroft Donington Collection.
The nine-time GP World Champion died in a road accident in 1981 at 40, and his family sold the RC173 at auction in 1997 to the current owner. The owner returned it to running order and showed it at events across the United Kingdom.
In 2005, the owner loaned the bike to the Honda Collection Hall in Motegi, Japan, where Honda carried out a full chassis and engine rebuild. It came back to the U.K. a year later with its original matching engine and frame numbers intact.
The Honda runs today and comes with a package of hardware from its racing life: special tools, its original set of carburetor jets, its original stand, a later stand Honda built while the bike was at the factory, a Perspex display sign, a bike cover, and a screen cover.
The history file includes the 1997 Coys catalog, period photographs, and material from the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Factory-supplied oil is among the other items in the sale.
Iconic Auctioneers Motorcycle Manager Mark Bryan said the RC173’s history sets it apart.
“The provenance of this motorcycle speaks for itself,” Bryan said. “It was built by Honda for Mike Hailwood, won a World Championship in his hands, and has remained closely connected with his story ever since. Works racing motorcycles of this importance very rarely come to market. This is a remarkable opportunity to acquire one of the machines that defined not only Hailwood’s career, but motorcycle racing in the 20th century.”
How to Bid on Mike Hailwood’s Honda RC173
The NEC Classic Motor Show runs November 13-15 at the NEC in Birmingham. The Iconic Motorcycle Sale takes place at 11 a.m. on Sunday, November 15.
Bidders can take part in person, online, by telephone, or by leaving a commission bid. Iconic Auctioneers asks buyers to register for their preferred method at least 48 hours before the sale, and registration requires photo identification and proof of address. Catalog listings for the RC173 and the rest of the motorcycles in the sale are on the Iconic Auctioneers website.
In our first segment this episode Don Williams takes us for a ride on arguably the most comfortable British take on the American cruiser: the Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster. It’s a superbly relaxed motorcycle in an equally relaxed state of tune, so while you shouldn’t be swayed by the “Speed” in its name, there’s a lot more to the Speedmaster than you might imagine.
* * * * *
Now here’s a really cool event you absolutely cannot miss—yes, we’re rapidly approaching the 34th Annual Biketoberfest Rally in Daytona Beach, sunny Florida.Biketoberfest this year runs October 15th through the 18th. Biketoberfest is all about the beautiful Florida weather, live music, the industry’s top vendors, bike shows, and motorcycle racing at Daytona International Speedway. And don’t forget, there are miles of spectacular rides along the famous A1A, the historic Main Street and the Ormond Beach Scenic Loop. There really is something for everyone here, and almost every event and attraction is free to attend. So, if you want a fun few days out in the Florida sunshine, Biketoberfest really is the place to be. Make sure you download the Biketoberfest mobile App from Apple or Google Play or visit www.biketoberfest.orgfor more details.
* * * * *
In our second segment this episode Teejay Adams catches up with World Cup Bagger racer, Archie McDonald who first came on this podcast last December. Whether you’ve watched any of the World Bagger Cup racing or not, you’ve likely heard of it. Despite a lot of initial skepticism, the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup really seems to have captured the racing public’s imagination. The Championship is now being led by Archie, and despite never having seen most of the tracks before, that he’s beating several very experienced and highly talented competitors, shows what an amazing talent he is. Archie is also extremely mature for his just 19-years of age, and sadly, in the last few months he’s had to grow up even faster after his older brother Toby took his own life in April. Archie brings us up to date with his racing for the Joe Rascal team, and he speaks candidly with Teejay about his brother and how Toby’s passing has affected him.
Fair warning: if you’re sensitive to this topic please be careful listening to this segment, and if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, know that support is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In Australia, you can contact Lifeline at 13 11 14.
Here’s quick reminder to check out our monthly digital magazine. It’s filled with everything you want to read on motorcycling, including some things you’ve probably not seen elsewhere. It’s absolutely free and you will find it on the Apple App Store and of course on Google Play as well.
Don’t forget to leave us your comments on our social media—we’re on all the usual platforms at Ultimate Motorcycling. We love hearing your feedback… so good or bad, please let us know what you think. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear those ideas too!
We use cookies and browser activity on this website
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
