Millyard Viper V10 Sold: New Owner Wants to Ride It

• Hammer price of £130,000 (approx. €152,000 / $173,000), rising to £149,500 (approx. €175,000 / $199,000) with buyer’s premium and fees
• The buyer is Briton Tim Whittaker, who works professionally in vehicle engineering
• Powertrain: 8.0-litre V10 from the Dodge Viper producing around 507 hp (373 kW) and 712 Nm (525 lb-ft)

On 22 July 2026, a chapter came to a close at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull that had begun back in 2004 in a single garage in the English county of Berkshire. Allen Millyard, an engineer, YouTuber, and familiar face from TV shows like “The Motorbike Show,” parted ways with his most famous self-build. The Millyard Viper V10 went under the hammer at auction house H&H Classics, changing hands for the very first time. Three days later, Millyard and the buyer spoke publicly together about the sale for the first time.

Who Bought the Millyard Viper V10?

The buyer is Tim Whittaker from Great Britain, who works professionally in vehicle engineering. He sat in the room during the auction and describes the purchase as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Whittaker says the machine impressed him from the very first time he saw it, several years ago. Given his professional background, he could barely believe that a single person had designed and built something like it. When he heard about the auction, he knew straight away that a chance like this would not come around again.

What seems to matter more to him than the hammer price itself is what happens next. He doesn’t want a motorcycle like this disappearing into a private collection — instead, it should be ridden and used. As for how to handle the machine properly, he wants Millyard himself to show him the ropes. His statement puts it this way: “It deserves to be ridden and enjoyed, and I’m looking forward to learning from Allen how to ride it properly.”

Whittaker also stresses that the machine will stay in the UK. During the winter months, he plans to loan it back to the National Motorcycle Museum so visitors can continue to see it. For now, the Viper V10 remains on display at the museum anyway.

How Much Did the Viper V10 Fetch at Auction?

The hammer fell at £130,000 (approx. €152,000 / $173,000). With buyer’s premium and fees added, the total price came to £149,500 (approx. €175,000 / $199,000).

That result landed just under the top end of the estimate. H&H Classics had valued the machine beforehand at £100,000 to £150,000 (approx. €117,000 to €176,000 / $133,000 to $200,000). The Viper V10 was lot 399 in an auction comprising 328 lots in total, ranging from memorabilia and ongoing projects to fully restored classics.

For Millyard, it was the first of his builds that he offered directly and personally through an auction house. That sets this sale apart from his other machines, which have reached the market through intermediate owners in recent years.

How Allen Millyard Experienced Sale Day

Millyard was on site all day. By his own account, he was at the museum from half past six in the morning until half past six in the evening, signing catalogues throughout the day — his cover features him posing alongside the machine.

When his lot number was called, he asked the audience whether they wanted to hear the engine one more time. After shouts from the room, he fired up the machine and let it rev briefly. He describes the buyer as a thoroughly likeable person who is clearly excited about what lies ahead, and says he plans to stay in touch.

Speaking to media a day later about the result itself, Millyard said: “I’m well chuffed!” He added that it needed saying two or three times over, since it’s an enormous amount of money for a motorcycle, and there aren’t many bikes that fetch a sum like that.

By his own account, what pleases him most is that the machine is staying in the country and will actually be ridden. He says the new owner plans to ease into it on closed airfields first, before eventually taking it out on the road once he feels confident enough.

Why Is Millyard Parting Ways With His Most Famous Motorcycle?

Millyard had already announced the sale back in June 2026, calling it a very difficult decision but one that would make room for new projects. He explained the move by saying he no longer had anything left to prove with the machine.

There are practical reasons too: the Viper V10 takes up a lot of space at home, and maintaining it takes time. Millyard also pointed to a V8 he built in 2001 and later sold — a sale that made a real difference for him and his children. For him, the appeal has always been in building and the technical challenge, rather than in ownership itself. At the same time, he admitted to mixed feelings: part of him wonders what he’s doing, the other part is excited.

The proceeds will now go toward new projects and a bigger workshop. Millyard has already announced plans to take on something interesting in the coming year.

How Is the Millyard Viper V10 Built?

The machine has no conventional motorcycle frame — instead, the engine itself serves as the load-bearing structure. A steel-tube subframe is bolted on at the front, an aluminium subframe at the rear, and the single-sided swingarm mounts directly to the gearbox.

The powerplant is an 8.0-litre pushrod V10 with 20 valves, taken from a second-generation Dodge Viper GTS built in the mid-1990s. According to the auction house, it produces around 507 hp (373 kW) and 712 Nm (525 lb-ft) of torque. The engine alone weighs more than 318 kg (700 lbs), and the complete motorcycle tips the scales at over 600 kg (more than 1,300 lbs).

Standard forks would never have coped with those forces, so Millyard built his own. The 75mm-diameter stanchions come from JCB hydraulic cylinders, the damper rods from an Opel Omega, and the springs from Hagon. At the rear, two modified Yamaha R1 shocks do the work. The headers are hand-built and ceramic-coated, with a high-temperature ceramic material similar to that used on the underside of the Space Shuttle serving as heat protection.

There’s no gearbox to shift. Given the torque on tap, Millyard opted early on for a single, fixed ratio. Swapping the rear sprocket allows the calculated top speed to be set anywhere between roughly 257 km/h (160 mph) and over 434 km/h (270 mph). He also swapped the Viper’s cast-iron flywheel for an aluminium one, after the reaction torque nearly threw him off the machine during its first start-up.

What Records Has the Viper V10 Set?

The machine passed its UK individual vehicle approval (IVA) on the first attempt and was registered for road use on 1 August 2009 under the plate RX09 LVH. Following an award at the 2014 Salon Privé, it now carries the plate V10 OTT.

In August 2009, test rider Bruce Dunn hit 333.3 km/h (207.101 mph) at the Bruntingthorpe proving ground. A taller gearing ratio was fitted for the run, and according to reports he didn’t even use full throttle. Millyard himself had previously reached 309.9 km/h (192.53 mph) on the bike.

A world record followed in May 2023. Millyard and TV presenter Henry Cole rode the Viper V10 two-up down the runway at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire and were clocked at 295.3 km/h (183.5 mph) over a standing-start mile. Guinness confirmed the run. The previous mark of 291.9 km/h (181.42 mph) dated back to 2011. That record stood until 23 March 2025, when a turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa hit 377.7 km/h (234.7 mph) at the same location.

Despite its weight, hefty fuel consumption, and lack of comfort, the machine is no mere showpiece. Millyard has covered more than 9,000 miles (approx. 14,500 km) on it, including trips to Guernsey, the Isle of Wight, and a lap of the TT course on the Isle of Man. Until the sale, only three people had ever ridden the machine: Millyard himself and former test riders Bruce Dunn and Trevor Franklin. Tim Whittaker now becomes the fourth name on that list.

What Other Millyard Builds Went Under the Hammer?

Alongside the Viper V10, several earlier Millyard builds were also up for sale, each offered by its respective owner. Two of them found new homes.

A 1974 Honda SS250, into which a liquid-cooled 2006 Kawasaki KX250F motocross engine had been transplanted via a Honda SS50, sold for £14,375 (approx. €16,800 / $19,100). A 1972 Kawasaki S2 fitted with a Millyard-built 415cc five-cylinder engine fetched £21,563 (approx. €25,300 / $28,700). A 1978 Kawasaki S1 550, for which Millyard had combined two 250cc three-cylinder engines into a four-cylinder unit, initially went unsold.

The sale fits into a broader pattern this auction season, with one-off builds and special machines increasingly commanding prices once reserved for historic factory racers.

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