You might associate the Italian manufacturer with cars, but you could pick up a two-wheeled example for less than you might think on the 6th April, 2022, with a rare 1955 Maserati Tipo 160/T4 up for auction. And with an estimate of £9,000 to £11,000.
The eldest of the Maserati brothers, Carlo, started out by building single cylinder engines to mount on bicycles, winning races on them at the turn of the 20th century. So it was a bit of a return when Maserati, now owned by Adolfo Orsi, bought up the Italmoto motorcycle company and produced the Tipo 125/T2, based on a DKW design, and the Tipo 160/T4 which was based on the Italmoto 160 tourer.

The 1955 Maserati Tipo 160/T4 features a 158cc single cylinder four stroke built by the company, and putting out a claimed 7.5hp when new. You get a four-speed gearbox, kickstart and chain drive, but no clocks of any sort. So you’ll have to guess the top speed you can manage.
The example up for auction also has a sports seat, alloy rims and period correct tyres, having been restored in the last few years by a previous owner. It’s been part of a private collection, and comes with a current V5C, but needs some recommissioning before you’ll be able to ride it.

It’s part of an auction by H&H Classics taking place at the National Motorcycle Museum on Wednesday, April 6th, 2022. And not only is the rare 1955 Maserati Tipo 160/T4 up for auction, but there’s also a matching 1955 Maserati Tipo 125/T2 on offer with an estimate of £6,000 to £8,000. So for potentially under £20,000, you could own the most important two motorcycles produced by the Italian brand (they also offered mopeds and 175cc and 250cc models during their brief time in production).
As you might imagine with an auction at the National Motorcycle Museum, the pair of Maserati bikes aren’t the only items of interest. A total of 206 motorbikes and scooters are up for sale on the day, with some of the most interesting lots including:
- 1951 Vincent Black Shadow special order (Estimate £70,000 – £80,000)
- 1929 Coventry Eagle E120 (Estimate £60,000-£70,000)
- 1952 Manx Norton 500 (Estimate £60,000-£65,000)
- 1956 Manx Norton 350 (Estimate £27,000-£30,000)
- 1949 Vespa V11T (Estimate £25,000 – £30,000)
- 2001 Ducati MH900E (Estimate £22,000-£26,000)
- 1960/1 Honda CR110 (Estimate £22,000-£26,000)
- 1991 Norton F1 Rotary (Estimate £20,000-£24,000)
- 1999 Ducati 996 SPS (Estimate £18,500-£22,500)
- 1988 Suzuki RG500 Gamma (Estimate £11,000-£15,000
And there are Velocette Thruxtons, BSA Gold Stars, Ariel Square Fours, and all the types of classics most of us spend days and nights dreaming about riding and owning at some point. A few of the bikes which jumped out at me include the Ducati 996 SPS which apparently has 1 mile on the clocks, the RG500 and an RD350LC, a couple of 1970s MV Agusta race bikes both estimated at £5,000 to £7,000, and a homologation model 1982 Suzuki Katana GSX1000SZ.
You can keep up with all the latest on new, classic, and secondhand motorcycles, here. If you’re thinking about bidding in the auction, you’ll need to register with H&H Classics, and viewing starts from 9am on Wednesday 6th April, with the vintage scooter auction from 11am, and the classic motorcycles going under the hammer from 1pm.