Hailwood’s Honda RC173 goes under the hammer: record price within reach

• Estimate of 750,000 to 950,000 pounds (approximately 877,000 to 1,110,000 euros / 1,023,000 to 1,296,000 US dollars), plus buyer’s premium
• Auction on Sunday, 15 November 2026, from 11 a.m. local time at the NEC Birmingham
• The very same machine changed hands in 1997 for 169,388 pounds

There are racing machines that stand for an era, and there are racing machines built for a single rider. The Honda RC173 belongs in both categories. Honda built the 349 cc four-cylinder machine in 1966 specifically for Mike Hailwood, so that he could contest the 350 cc world championship alongside the 250 cc and 500 cc classes. According to auction house Iconic Auctioneers, this is the only surviving example of the model. On 15 November 2026 it goes under the hammer as part of the Iconic Motorcycle Sale at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC Birmingham.

Why is the Honda RC173 considered so valuable?

The value comes above all from its provenance: the machine was built by Honda for Hailwood, won a world title in his hands and remained closely tied to his story afterwards. Mark Bryan, Motorcycle Manager at Iconic Auctioneers, sums it up like this: “The provenance of this motorcycle speaks for itself.”

Bryan also points out that works racing machines of this significance rarely come onto the market at all. In his view this is not just a machine that shaped Hailwood’s career, but one of the motorcycles that helped define twentieth-century racing. The auction house itself calls it one of the historically most significant Hondas offered in recent years.

Then there is the condition. The RC173 is in running order and has been returned to original specification. Frame and engine still carry matching original numbers, listed in the catalogue as frame number RC173F and engine number RC173E. With historic racing machines that is a central point, because many works bikes have survived the decades with replacement engines or replica frames.

How much is the Hailwood Honda expected to fetch?

Iconic Auctioneers estimates the RC173 at 750,000 to 950,000 pounds (approximately 877,000 to 1,110,000 euros / 1,023,000 to 1,296,000 US dollars). On top of that comes the buyer’s premium of 15 per cent plus VAT, which equates to 18 per cent including VAT.

If the upper end of the estimate is reached, the machine moves close to the current record price for a motorcycle. That record is still held by the “Captain America”, a Harley-Davidson Panhead from the film Easy Rider ridden by Peter Fonda. It sold in 2014 for 1.35 million US dollars, around 990,000 pounds at the time, roughly 1,157,000 euros.

What was paid for the same machine in 1997

The RC173 has been on the market once before, and the price at the time shows how the collector value of historic racing motorcycles has developed. In 1997 the Hailwood family sold off the rider’s personal collection in its entirety. Auction house Coys sold the Honda in London for 169,388 pounds including premium, roughly 198,000 euros / 231,000 US dollars at today’s exchange rate.

In the same sale, the Suzuki RG500 on which Hailwood won on the Isle of Man in 1979 went for 35,288 pounds (approximately 41,000 euros / 48,000 US dollars). Practically everything was sold back then, from leathers and trophies to jackets. Measured against the current estimate, the lower expectation for the RC173 today is more than four times the 1997 price.

Which races did Hailwood win with the RC173 in 1966?

Hailwood won six Grands Prix with the machine: in West Germany, France, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Finland and Ulster. Numerous fastest race laps were added to that.

At the end of the season he finished ahead of Giacomo Agostini on the MV Agusta and Renzo Pasolini on the Benelli in the 350 cc standings. For Honda, 1966 was a special year because Hailwood competed in three displacement classes at the same time, meaning the brand was fighting on several fronts at once. After the season ended Hailwood kept the RC173 and used it in 1967 at selected invitation races, including Mallory Park and Oulton Park.

How did the machine get to Japan and back again?

The Honda Collection Hall in Motegi, Japan, asked the owner in June 2005 whether it could borrow the machine. During that period it was completely overhauled in Japan and returned to its owner in June 2006.

Before the trip to Japan the RC173 had already been through several stages. After its active racing career it belonged for many years to the Wheatcroft Donington Collection. In 1997 the Hailwood family sold it to the current British owner, who has kept it ever since. Over the roughly 30 years that followed it was put back into running order and used at events and parades in the United Kingdom. During the overhaul in Motegi the technicians attended to both the frame and the engine without touching the original numbers.

What is included in the sale

The buyer does not just get the machine. The lot includes various special tools, an original set of carburettor jets and the original stand. There is also a more recent stand that Honda made while the machine was at the factory.

Also included is an acrylic glass sign that served as the display label in the Honda Collection Hall, plus a custom-made cover for the motorcycle and its screen. The auction house additionally points to an extensive history file documenting the machine.

Who was Mike Hailwood?

Mike Hailwood, born in 1940 near Oxford, is regarded as one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time. He won 76 Grands Prix and nine world championships.

His career started early. In 1958, aged 18, he took three British championships; a year later he won all four classes from 125 to 500 cc. On the Isle of Man he won 14 times, including his comeback at the 1978 TT on a Ducati at the age of 38. During his seven-year break from motorcycle racing he competed in car racing and finished third at the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT40. Hailwood died in 1981 at the age of 40 in a road accident in Warwickshire.

Which other machines are going under the hammer at the auction?

The sale comprises 44 lots in total, including two further racing machines with prominent histories. The highest estimate after the RC173 belongs to an Aprilia RS-GP 20 from the 2020 MotoGP season.

Aleix Espargaró rode this machine that season, and it is being offered directly by him. It has been part of his private collection since 2022. His leathers, helmet, boots and gloves from that season are included in the sale, along with the works papers and delivery notes from Aprilia. Technically it is fitted with the Marelli works ignition, an Akrapovic exhaust system, specially tuned Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes with carbon discs at the front. It runs, but requires support from Aprilia before any outing. The estimate is 200,000 to 300,000 pounds (approximately 234,000 to 351,000 euros / 273,000 to 409,000 US dollars).

Also on offer is a Honda CBR1000RR8 Fireblade from 2008 and 2009, ridden by Guy Martin for Sean Muir Racing in the Superstock class, in the Hydrex, Red Torpedo and SMR liveries. On this machine Martin achieved his best results at the Tourist Trophy: second place in the 2009 Superstock TT and third place in 2008, plus fourth in the Superstock race at the 2009 Ulster Grand Prix. A certificate of authenticity signed by chief engineer Mick Shanley is included. The machine has run in recent years but needs the usual checks and a light recommissioning before use. It is estimated at 15,000 to 20,000 pounds (approximately 17,500 to 23,400 euros / 20,500 to 27,300 US dollars).

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