A one-off Dodge Viper V10-powered motorcycle , built by engineering maestro and television presenter Allen Millyard has sold at auction with H&H Classics for £149,500.
The bright red ballistic missile was expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000 – with the gavel falling at £130,000. Additional fees then brought the total to just shy of the upper estimate, with the bike purchased by UK enthusiast, Tim Whittaker.
“I’m well chuffed!” Millyard told MCN the day after the sale. “You’ve got to say it two or three times because it’s a lot of money for a motorbike. There’s not many motorbikes that sell for that money.”
Known as the Millyard Viper V10, the bike formed part of a wider auction featuring 328 lots offering everything from memorabilia, to running projects, and retro racers, to restorations. A Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster owned by the late Kevin Keegan also fetched £35,075 – part of which will be donated to Cancer Research UK.
It took place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull on Wednesday, July 22 – with Allen on site to answer questions about the machine and meet plenty of fans. There was even the chance to see one last start-up outside the venue.
“We were there from 6.30am and we left at 6.30pm,” he continued. “It was absolutely mad and all day I was signing brochures. I’m on the front cover of the catalogue with the bike.”
The eight-litre machine produces in the region of 500bhp and 525lb.ft of torque and first hit the road in 2009.
In the hands of MCN Speed Tester, Bruce Dunn , it achieved a recorded 207.101mph – and later went on to gain a Guinness World Record for the ‘fastest speed achieved by a tandem motorcycle ’ – hitting 183.5mph with Allen riding and fellow presenter Henry Cole on the pillion seat.
“The coolest thing for me is it’s staying in the UK and the chap that bought it is lovely,” he continued. “It’s going to be used and he’s going to ride it on runways first to see how he feels and if he feels confident, he’s going to use it on the road as well.”
On top of the Viper sale, a number of previously sold Millyard builds were also up for grabs.
This included a 1978 Kawasaki S1 550 four-cylinder special, as well as a 1974 Honda ‘SS250’ special – pairing a Honda SS50 with a liquid-cooled 2006 Kawasaki KX250F motocross engine. The latter eventually went for £14,375 – with the S1 still up for grabs.
A 1972 Kawasaki S2, powered by a unique five-cylinder 415cc engine again built by Millyard was also on sale – going for an impressive £21,563.
The money raised from the V10 sale will now go towards fresh products and a bigger workshop, with Allen adding: “Next year, I’ll be on the case for something cool.”
The Millyard Viper V10 is an icon and machines of this kind don’t come around often – meaning it was always destined to sell for big money. We can’t wait to see what gets built next!
Dan is a fully-trained journalist, with a Gold Standard Level 3 Diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists. He has a passion for motorcycles of all capacities, but feels at home aboard a sportsbike. He's been working for MCN in print and digital for the best part of 10 years, with regular contributions to RiDE Magazine on the side.
News Editor, trackday fan, lover of 90s sportsbikes