A 1928 motorcycle jewel to rule the vintage luxury motors
There are motorcycles and then there are motorcycles! The 1928 Coventry Eagle OHV Flying 8 no doubt belongs to the latter category. It is no surprise that it is expected to go for an amount as high as $300,000 if not more. This rare vintage motorcycle was built almost 85 years ago and is a must for luxury collections.
The Coventry Eagle began their brilliant journey as humble bicycle makers as early as 1890. Three entrepreneurs meek, Mayo and Hotchkiss got together to make and sell bicycles under the band name “Royal Eagle”. Their factory was located at Hill Cross, United Kingdom. A highly popular brand became more so when engines first made an appearance.
The innovative manufacturers equipped their bicycles with engines and to market motorcycles. Royal Eagle bicycles were now the famed Coventry Eagle Motorbikes. Soon they were giving the “Brough Superior” (the most luxurious of motorcycles) a run for their money.
Many detractors complained that there was not much to choose from between the two brands. The Flying 8’s were among the most well known Coventry eagle motorbikes. The 8 was derived from the 8 horsepower RAC rated engine that was used to power the popular motorbike. It was a lifestyle statement.
The love affair between the Coventry Eagles and their expensive motorbikes came to a sad end with the onset of the Depression. They had to stop manufacturing their expensive models. The last Flying -8 fitted with an overhead valve left the factory premises in 1930, and is now among coveted luxury items.
Over the decades (almost a century) very few Fying 8’s have survived the years. One of these is now listed to come under the hammer. The 1928 Coventry Eagle OHV Flying 8 will be auctioned at the breathtaking Bonhams’ Quail Lodge, Carmel, California. It may not be the last OHV Flying 8, on the planet but it may be long time before someone else decides to part with his or her precious possession.
