Description
This motorcycle is Lot 27 to be auctioned by Bonhams at the Timed-Online January Sale, please see the Bonhams website for full details. The timed online auction runs between January 17th through January 27th, with lots closing from midday January 27th 2025.
Public Viewing:
Available 22nd January 2025 from 09:00 until 17:00, by appointment only at Bonhams Milton Keynes.
Lot 27
1934 Magnat-Debon 175cc L. M. U.
Registration no. XVV 240
Frame no. 186257
Engine no. 39758
Business partners Joseph Magnat and Louis Debon first came together in the 1890s, setting up a bicycle factory in their hometown of Grenoble. Using a De Dion Bouton engine, the firm built its first motorcycle in 1902. Magnat-Debon prospered in the years leading up to WWI, becoming synonymous with quality and prestige. However, both founders died in 1918 and in the early 1920s Magnat-Debon was sold to entrepreneur Alfred Turpillot, who merged the company with Terrot, another of his recent acquisitions.
This Magnat-Debon two-stroke lightweight comes with some interesting souvenirs from its WWII experiences in the form of a copy of its travel pass, issued by the authorities in Orléans on 31st August 1944, and a 'decommissioning' bullet hole in the fuel tank. The machine also comes with dating and inspection paperwork from the Old Bike Register which describes it as "100% correct and has not been modified at all and has a delightful patina for the age". According to the vendor: "The traces of white paint beneath the top coat of black denotes that it was at one point in use by the German military [during the second world war]" No work has been beyond the previous owner stripping the tank and the vendor getting the machine running in 2017, which included having the magneto rewound and fully refurbished (invoice available). Work still required to make the bike rideable is a matter of making up cables to suit the original reversed control levers. The machine last ran in 2022. Offered with a V5C Registration Certificate.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
