Allen Millyard’s incredible Viper V10, his one-off motorbike powered by a 500bhp eight-litre engine from a Dodge Viper supercar, sold at auction for just under £150,000 last week – and the good news is that the new owner has promised to put it on display in the National Motorcycle Museum (NMM) in the winter months – after he finishes riding it in the summer!
Millyard is undoubtedly Britain’s most loved motorcycle builder and the V10 his most famous creation. A big part of the bike’s appeal was that it was road registered and regularly ridden by Allen, who clocked up around 10,000 miles on it, and the new owner – collector and long-time NMM supporter Tim Whittaker – has vowed to keep it on the road rather than mothballing it in a private museum.
More than 300 motorcycles and motorcycle-related memorabilia went under the hammer in the two-day H&H Classics auction, which took place at the NMM, including several of Millyard’s custom bikes, but the V10 was the one everyone was talking about.
No-one really knew what the one-off would be worth and bidding proved to be competitive, with the hammer dropping at £130,000. With the addition of commission and buyer’s fees, Whittaker ended up dropping £149,500 on his new bike. He’s now asked Millyard to teach him the intricacies of the one-of-a-kind bike, in order that he can keep it on the road and continue racking up the miles.
He said: “When I first saw the V10 Viper a few years ago, I immediately recognised I was looking at an incredible feat of engineering. With my background in automotive engineering, I couldn’t quite believe that one person had designed and built something so extraordinary. When I heard it was coming up for auction, I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
I didn’t want to see such an iconic motorcycle disappear into a private collection. It deserves to be ridden and enjoyed, and I’m looking forward to learning from Allen how to ride it properly. I’m incredibly proud to become its next custodian. Just as importantly, I’m delighted it will stay in the UK and that I can lend it to the National Motorcycle Museum during the winter months so visitors can continue to enjoy this remarkable machine.”
Millyard was at the auction along with his wife Tracey and TV presenter Henry Cole, who was filming the sale for an upcoming show. Explaining his decision to sell the V10, Allen said: “It’s realising the day that I can still ride it, but I think my muscle strength is less than it was years ago. I’ve done everything with it. I’ve ridden nearly 10,000 miles, been to Germany on it, the Isle of Wight, and ridden it at shows all over the country. I feel like I’ve done everything I wanted to do with it, and now it’s time for something new.”
NMM director James Hewing was delighted that the Millyard Viper will have a place in the museum’s collection, adding: “We’re delighted with the outcome of the sale. Tim is a great supporter of the museum and we’re thrilled that he has kindly agreed for Allen Millyard’s V10 Viper to return to the National Motorcycle Museum for display during the winter months. It means visitors will have another opportunity to see one of the world’s most remarkable motorcycles up close, which is fantastic news for enthusiasts.”
Among the other motorcycles sold at the auction, there was considerable interest in a 1990 Harley-Davidson Sportster owned by legendary former England striker Kevin Keegan, who passed away just a few days before the auction. Painted by Morpeth Harley-Davidson dealers Just Harleys out of their owners’ love of Newcastle United, Keegan himself is reported to have turned up at the dealership to take a look, before buying it for himself. It was said to have taken pride of place in Keegan’s home office but was entrusted to the auction house several months ago, after he was given a terminal cancer diagnosis. The bike sold for £35,000, with a percentage of the sale price being promised to the Cancer Research charity.
Photo: National Motorcycle Museum
