Some of the fastest motorcycles ever built are going under the hammer with Mecum at its Glendale auction on Saturday 21 March.
The 2013 Vesco Racing Turbinator II Streamliner is the first and only wheel-powered motorcycle ever to exceed 500mph, and it is being sold with no reserve.
Built by Rick Vesco and piloted by Dave Spangler, the Turbinator is powered by a Lycoming turbine engine that took the car to 503.332mph in September 2018 on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
The motorcycle is being sold complete with a display engine in place, trailer, race suit, helmet, gloves, boots, trophies and other memorabilia.
Also in the Mecum sale is Vesco’s Silver Bird/Lightning Bolt Land Speed motorcycle that was the first to break the 300mph barrier on two wheels.
This bike started out as the Silver Bird with a brace of Yamaha TZ750 engines and set that 300mph benchmark speed on 28 September 1975with Don Vesco in the hot seat to reach 302.928mph.
Three years later, Don fitted two turbocharged Kawasaki 1000cc engines and headed back to Bonneville. He increased his own record to 318.598mph, which stood for 12 years.
This record-breaking land speed motorcycle comes with one of the TZ750 Yamaha engines for display purposes only, a driving suit, helmet, boots and vintage photos.
Images courtesy of Mecum
