One of the most significant Grand Prix racing motorcycles ever offered for public sale is set to headline the Bonhams auction at The International Classic MotorCycle Show, sponsored by Carole Nash, taking place on 25–26 April 2026 at Staffordshire Showground.
Part of The Connoisseurs Collection, Part II, this extraordinary machine is an ex-works 1965 MV Agusta 500cc Grand Prix racing motorcycle, closely associated with two of the sport’s greatest names — Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini. It is expected to fetch between £160,000 and £220,000.
Machines from the legendary MV Agusta works team are among the rarest and most desirable in motorcycling history. With most examples held in museums or tightly held private collections, opportunities to acquire one are exceptionally rare.
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This particular motorcycle, frame and engine number 1109, was purchased directly from MV Agusta by John Surtees in 1986, before being extensively paraded by the world champion. Surtees later sold the bike to its current owner in 2005, and it is now offered from an important overseas private collection.
The machine represents the golden era of MV Agusta’s dominance in Grand Prix racing. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Italian marque secured an extraordinary 37 World Championships between 1952 and 1974, more than double that of its closest rival during the same period.
Believed to date from 1965, this bike comes from a pivotal moment in racing history — the final season before MV transitioned from its iconic four-cylinder machines to the three-cylinder design that would dominate the late 1960s. It is during this period that Hailwood secured his fourth consecutive 500cc World Championship, while Agostini emerged as the next dominant force.
While the precise race history of this machine’s components is unknown, it is understood to have been raced by Hailwood, Agostini, or potentially both, during the 1965 season.
Its provenance is further strengthened by a detailed letter from John Surtees, confirming the bike as a genuine factory machine retained complete by MV Agusta after the team transitioned to three-cylinder racers. Surtees also confirmed that, aside from minor recommissioning work such as replacement seat covering and replica rear dampers, the motorcycle remains substantially original throughout.
The machine has also appeared at prestigious events over the years, including Goodwood and the Spa-Francorchamps Revival, and has even been photographed with Barry Sheene.
Authenticity has been confirmed by Enrico Sironi, director of the MV Agusta Museum, reinforcing its status as a genuine ex-works racer from one of the most dominant periods in motorcycle racing history.
Following a period of inactivity, the motorcycle will require recommissioning and/or restoration before use and is offered strictly as viewed.
For collectors, this represents what can only be described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a machine from MV Agusta’s legendary 500cc programme — the very bikes that delivered 139 Grand Prix victories and 16 World Championships in the premier class alone.
🎟️ Useful Links
👉 Buy advance tickets and save £5:
https://www.classicbikeshows.com/stafforda/
👉 View all 247 bikes in the auction:
https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/32042/the-spring-stafford-sale-the-international-classic-motorcycle-show/
