But in recent years the wonder of two wheels has gradually been discovered by people with significant money to spend. It eclipsed the previous auction high of $929,000 set in 2018 by the Vincent Black Lightning on which Jack Ehret smashed the Australian land speed record for motorcycles 74 years ago at 141.5mph. AdvertisementFrom the raw beauty of a Vincent V-twin engine to the sculpted fuel tank of an MV Agusta. (In the film, the British motorcycle racing champ Bill Ivy rode the bike — cunningly disguised with a blonde wig.) And on to Suzuki’s tyre-shredding 200mph Hayabusa, the fastest street bike in the world when launched in 1999.
