Oldest Motorcycle Goes Up for Auction Hot

Over a century ago, Hildebrand & Wolfmuller created one of the world’s first motorcycles. On April 25, at the International Classic Motorcycle Show in Stafford, England, the 105-year old bike will go up for auction.

The German manufacturer, which operated out of Munich, was the first to enter a series production for a powered two-wheeled vehicle. It is also the first vehicle to ever have the name ‘motorcycle’ applied to it.

The bike was created by brothers Henry and Wilhelm Hildebrand, and Alois Wolmuller. It was outfitted with a four-stroke, twin-cylinder, water-cooled 1,488cc engine. This engine was, for a long time, the largest ever fitted onto a motorcycle. Despite its large size, it only had an output of 2.5bhp at 240 rpms. This gave the bike an estimated top speed of 30 mph.  

The motorcycle was only produced for two short years, and it is estimated that only 800 to 2000 bikes were ever produced. Of course, the number of bikes remaining today is much less. The bike is over a hundred years old, and hasn’t been run since the 1930s.

On April 25, the bike is estimated to bring in a price of $65,000 to $97,5000.