Description
This motorcycle is Lot 94 to be auctioned by Bonhams at The Spring Stafford Sale (The International Classic MotorCycle Show) on April 25th & 26th, please see the Bonhams Motorcycles Website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 1 - 94 are to be sold from 14:30 on Saturday 25th April 2026.
Lots 201 - 353 are to be sold from 11:30am on Sunday 26th April 2026.
Public Viewing:
Available 25th & 26th April 2026 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Staffordshire County Showground (The International Classic MotorCycle Show).
The Connoisseurs Collection, Part II
** c. 2000/ 2005 Daimler Reitwagen Replica**
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. none visible
Engine no. none visible
** The Lot is from outside the UK. Shippio Ltd must automatically uplift this Lot after the auction, complete all post sale import or export customs administration, and store this Lot until it is customs cleared. A compulsory fee of £350 + VAT will be added to the buyer's invoice for this. This Lot cannot be collected from the auction venue by the purchaser or any alternative transporter.
If the Lot is to stay in the UK or is not exported within 90 days of sale, Import VAT at 20% on the hammer price and buyer's premium is payable, in addition to Import Duty at 6% + VAT on the hammer price and buyer's premium.**
In 1885, German inventor Gottlieb Daimler, whose name would later become inextricably linked with that of Benz, demonstrated his prototype high-speed internal combustion engine, which was installed in a rudimentary two-wheeler: the modern motorcycle had been born. Daimler and his collaborator Wilhelm Maybach had both worked for the Deutz engine company, helping to develop a successful four-stroke stationary engine powered by mains-supplied coal gas. Daimler though, could see the potential of such an engine as a means of propulsion, providing it could be developed to run on an alternative fuel. Fortunately, there was one readily available: benzine (petrol), which hitherto had been used mainly as a cleaning fluid for clothing.
The first Daimler engine was an air-cooled single displacing 264cc, featuring an 'atmospheric' inlet valve and a mechanically operated side exhaust valve, an arrangement known as 'IOE'. It was capable at running at an unprecedented 750rpm, and produced around half of one horsepower. Other noteworthy features included a float carburettor (developed by Maybach), 'hot tube' ignition and *** cooling, the cylinder barrel being devoid of fins.
The engine was installed in a home-built, two-wheeled test-bed, as it was not yet powerful enough to propel the heavier four-wheeled vehicle that Daimler envisaged. His prototype employed a steel-reinforced timber frame bolted together, which carried the engine vertically between the wheels. The latter were iron-tyred cart wheels, and the rider sat on a horse-type saddle on top of the frame. Belt drive was used, with a tensioning jockey wheel serving as a crude clutch. Controls were mounted on the handlebars.
Although called the 'einspur' (one track), Daimler's motorcycle was supported by stabiliser wheels on either side, as the tall saddle meant the rider's feet could not reach the ground. It is also known as the 'Reitwagen' (riding car). On 10th November 1885, Daimler's 17-year-old son Paul made history by completing the first journey by motorcycle when he rode the Reitwagen from his father's works in Canstatt to Unterturkheim and back, a distance of around 7. 5 miles.
The Reitwagen was soon improved by adding a two-speed transmission, but it was only ever a means to an end and having served its purpose was left to gather dust in the workshop. When the latter burned down in 1903, that priceless relic was destroyed.
This high-quality Daimler Reitwagen Replica is consistent with specialist German-built replicas produced circa 2000–2005. Such replicas were typically produced in very small numbers by specialist German and European early-transport engineers for museums and private collectors, rather than by a single named manufacturer. This example's mechanical condition has not been established and it is not known whether it is simply a static display piece or whether it runs. Accordingly, close inspection is advised. Sold strictly as viewed.
Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves with regard to this lots completeness, history, authenticity, originality and mechanical condition prior to bidding.
Key not required
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.
