Ever wanted to own a piece of motorcycle history? Now, you can. The world's first "motorcycle" is going up for auction in England on Sunday. It's a completely unrestored 1894 Holdebrand & Wolfmüller “motorrad" -- a word invented by the company to describe the first two-wheeled vehicle to be mass produced and available to the public.
The bike was previously owned by Bill McNee, a Staten Island collector. After his death in 2007, and the death of his wife, Cornelia, in 2009, the heirs to the couple's estate decided to auction off much of the collection. All totaled, hundreds of the rare and vintage motorcycles McNee acquired over his lifetime will be sold in the auction, which is being conducted by Bonhams.
Out of everything being auctioned off, the motorrad seems to be the item piquing the most interest. It's estimated that between 800 - 2,000 of the models were made before Hildebrand & Wolfmüller went out of business in 1897. These early bikes were crudely made, without a clutch, starter or decent brakes. In fact, many of the people who purchased the motorrads went on to sue to get their money back from the company.
Despite all this, Bonhams expects that the bike (which doesn't run, and will be sold "as is") will fetch $90,000 or more at auction.
