Description
This motorcycle is Lot 18 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. 1936 Nimbus 750cc Four**
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. 1519
Engine no. 3514
** 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 5% on the hammer price is payable.**
The result of diversification by the Danish vacuum cleaner manufacturer, Fisker & Nielsen, the Nimbus motorcycle first appeared in 1919. Unusually, only inline four-cylinder models were built. These were of advanced design, using shaft final drive and pressed steel frames right from the start of production, and pioneered the use of the telescopic front fork in the mid-1930s. The early models featured a distinctive tubular spine frame that doubled as the fuel tank, soon gaining the nickname 'stovepipe'. The low-compression Nimbus engine was noted for its smoothness and flexibility.
In 1928, motorcycle production was suspended to enable the company to concentrate on producing its Nilfisk vacuum cleaners, and when the new Nimbus appeared in 1934 it was with a 750cc power unit that showed strong motor-industry influence, being constructed along car lines with integral crankcase/ cylinder block in cast iron and a detachable alloy sump. The cast-iron one-piece cylinder head was topped by an alloy housing for the single overhead camshaft, which was driven by shaft-and-bevel gears. A single-plate clutch transmitted power to the three-speed gearbox. The original 'stovepipe' frame had been superseded by one made from flat spring steel, while foot change for the gearbox, a beefier front fork, and larger brakes had been added by the end of the 1930s. Nimbus was ahead of its time in many ways, introducing its first telescopic front fork in 1934 and adopting closed-circuit crankcase ventilation many years before the automobile industry.
From then onwards the Nimbus changed little until series production was ended in 1954, once again to free up resources for the vacuum cleaner business. An additional few machines were assembled from spares between 1954 and 1959 but none have been made since then. Production was always on a limited scale, but such is the quality of the Nimbus that many remain in service today.
This example's frame and engine numbers date the former to 1935 and the latter to 1937. The machine currently displays a total of 38, 260 kilometres on the odometer and is presented in restored condition (the engine turns over).
Offered unregistered and without documents other than a few post-restoration images. Following a period of inactivity, this motorcycle will require recommissioning and/ or restoration to a greater or lesser extent before returning to the road and thus is sold strictly as viewed. Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves with regard to this motorcycle's completeness, history, authenticity, originality and mechanical condition prior to bidding.
Offered with key
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.
