Bonhams certainly knows how to pick ?em, and there?s some exceptional iron hiding in the 2023 December Sale. It?s an online-only auction with lots closing as soon as December 11th, boasting exceptional classics, landmark sportbikes, parts and memorabilia. The apple of our eye has to be Lot 128, a sweetheart of a 1974 Ducati 750 GT, but we?ll let you be the judge.

1990 Norton 588 cc F1 Amid tough financial times in the 1980s, Norton was clinging to utilitarian rotary-powered roadsters like the Interpol 2, the Classic and the Commander to weather the coming years. There was a surprising amount of potential hidden in the humble 588 cc twin-rotor Wankel, though, and the engine would eventually form the basis of the British F1-winning RCW588. Never one to waste an opportunity, Norton debuted a street-legal version of RCW in 1989 dubbed the F1.
While the F1?s rotary power plant certainly makes it interesting today, it was without a doubt the most exotic superbike of its day when new. The twin-rotor Wankel engine was hopped up over the standard Commander with bigger ports, more aggressive timing, Mikuni carburetors and a five-speed gearbox from the Yamaha FZR1000. With 95 bhp at 9,500 rpm, the F1?s engine was ten numbers up from the standard Norton rotary, but significantly short of the RCW?s 140.

Like the RCW, the F1 rode on a trick aluminum chassis from Spondon Engineering, and was fit with a WP inverted fork and a mono-shock swingarm. Alloy wheels were sourced from PVM,...