A Honda CB750 Prototype Just Sold for More Than $300,000
One of the most expensive Hondas of all time has two wheels instead of four.
An ultra-rare CB750 prototype from 1968 sold for $313,500 at Mecum’s Las Vegas sale last last month, reports Hagerty. The stunning gavel price makes the early production model the most expensive Japanese motorcycle of all time.
The CB750 is the kind of bike that you can say, with a straight face, actually changed things. It arrived on the scene in 1969, unlike anything Honda had built since the late 1940s. Up until then, the company specialized in accessibly priced bikes with small four-stroke engines. The CB750, on the other hand, featured a 736cc air-cooled, transverse, inline-four mill.
The 1968 Honda CB750 prototype
Mecum Auctions
This engine, which was connected to a five-speed transmission and borrowed technology from the RC181 race mill, made nearly 70 hp. That, as Hagerty points out, made it significantly more potent than the larger engines found in the Harley-Davidsons of the era. The CB750 could reach speeds of up to 124 mph thanks to all that grunt, but was still comfortable enough to ride for long periods of time and distances. It was also the first mass-produced bike to feature hydraulic disc brakes, a double cradle frame, and four mufflers. Add all this together, and you have what is generally considered to be the world’s first “superbike.”
The bike that set the record was originally sent to Bob Hansen in the fall of 1968 so he could check it out. It and the other four prototypes sent to the U.S.—which were shipped to stateside dealerships in early 1969—feature several details not found on the production bike, including one-off Keihin carburetors, “Honda” over the cam covers, and different badging. The bike, which is finished in a dazzling coat of Candy Blue-Green and features a black seat cover, was acquired by CB750 collector Vic World in the 1990s. He would eventually restore the two-wheeler and show it off at the 2024 Quail Motorcycle Gathering, where it won Best in Show.
The CB750 is powered by a 736cc air-cooled, transverse, inline-four engine
Mecum Auctions
In selling for $313,500, the CB750 became the most expensive Japanese motorcycle of all time. It is also now one of the most expensive Honda vehicles of all time, surpassed only by the more coveted version of the first-generation NSX.
Click here to see more photos of the Honda CB750 prototype.
