The first motorcycle to auction for $1 million is an ultra-rare, bright yellow piece of two-wheeled history. On February 1st, a restored 1915 Cyclone V-Twin from the Urban S. Hirsch III Collection sold for $1,320,000 during a Mecum Auctions event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Cyclone roadster isn’t an instantly recognizable motorcycle for most people. Given its brief production run from 1913-1915, there aren’t many of them around at this point, much less in working order. According to Mecum’s lot description, only 14 Cyclones are estimated to still exist today, while just five of them remain in “racing configuration.”
The model, however, remains a pivotal part of motorcycle history. Designed by engineer Andrew Strand, the Cyclone’s 61 CI (996cc), 45-degree V-twin engine was the first in the US to use an overhead-camshaft, and at 45 HP, it was far-and-away the most powerful engine at the time. Maxxing out a Cyclone could see speeds over 100 mph—not that topping it out was recommended.
Given the comparatively rudimentary engine lubrication available in the early-20th century, the Cyclone wasn’t the most reliable towards the tailend of the era’s popular long-distance races. Instead of the overhead camshaft receiving positive lubrication, the motorcycle used an oil well which dripped directly on each camshaft. While this raised the likelihood of overheating, drivers often stopped to add additional oil during long-distance raises.
“[W]ith an OHC V-twn motor with a clutch, the Cyclone was an ideal Hot Rod roadster capable of leaving any other vehicle on the road in its dust,” Mecan’s lot description reads.
Saturday’s auction beats the previous record for most expensive motorcycle set in 2023, when a 1908 Harley-Davidson “Strap Tank” sold for $935,000. As New Atlas noted, yet another motorcycle in the Urban S. Hirsch III Collection—a 1938 Crocker twin—sold for $880,000 just minutes after the Cyclone, making it the third-most expensive motorcycle on record.
Both the Cyclone and the Crocker motorcycles previously belonged to the late Urban S. Hirsch III, an eccentric and wealthy newspaper magnate with a love of fast rides. Prior to the auction, Hirsch’s motorcycles were on display at a private museum located in his own mansion.
The Cyclone’s newest owner won’t be able to simply take their recordbreaking purchase out on the town for a spin, however. The sale is relegated “for display purposes only,” and is not cleared for highway or public road use.
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