LOT 50 *N

The Connoisseurs Collection, Part II c.1961 Lilac 125cc CF40 Registration no. not registered Frame no. F4-61-2980 Engine no. C0-2795

Sold for £3,220 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

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Lot 50^*,N

The Connoisseurs Collection, Part II, c.1961 Lilac 125cc CF40

The Spring Stafford Sale - The International Classic MotorCycle Show|25 April 2026, 14:30 BST|Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground

The Connoisseurs Collection, Part II
c.1961 Lilac 125cc CF40
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. F4-61-2980
Engine no. C0-2795

The Lot is from outside the UK. Shippio Ltd must automatically uplift this Lot after the auction, complete all post sale import or export customs administration, and store this Lot until it is customs cleared. A compulsory fee of £350 + VAT will be added to the buyer's invoice for this. This Lot cannot be collected from the auction venue by the purchaser or any alternative transporter.

If the Lot is to stay in the UK or is not exported within 90 days of sale, Import VAT at 5% on the hammer price is payable.

Lilac motorcycles were manufactured by the Marusho Motorcycle Industrial Co Ltd, which was founded in 1951 in Hamamatsu, Japan by Masashi Ito, owner of an existing car repair and truck body manufacturing business. The first Lilac was a shaft-driven 150cc lightweight and, like many of its Japanese contemporaries, was copied from a European design, in the Lilac's case a pre-war Zündapp. A succession of larger models was introduced, including a 350cc horizontally opposed twin, almost all of which retained Marusho's trademark shaft drive.

Increasingly stiff competition from Honda forced a wholesale revision of the Lilac range in the late 1950s, the new line-up including a brace of transverse v-twins based on the German Victoria Bergmeister. At the same time Marusho concluded a commercial alliance with Mitsubishi, only to be saddled with an insupportable debt when the deal swiftly came unstuck. Despite an agreement to import Lilacs into the USA, the company was forced to file for bankruptcy and the factory ceased making motorcycles in 1961. After a few years acting as a sub-contractor for Honda, the firm returned to the motorcycle market in 1964.

A Japanese motorcycle rarely seen in Europe, this Lilac CF40 is presented in restored condition, currently displaying a total of only 20 kilometres on the odometer (the engine turns over).

Offered unregistered and without documents. Following a period of inactivity, this motorcycle will require recommissioning and/or restoration to a greater or lesser extent before returning to the road and thus is sold strictly as viewed. Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves with regard to this motorcycle's completeness, history, authenticity, originality and mechanical condition prior to bidding.
Offered with key

Footnotes

All lots are sold 'as is/where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding.

Please see the Auction Information and Guide for Buyers at the top of the main sale page, for bidders' obligations. The Spring Stafford Sale

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This Lot will be auctioned on Saturday 25 April, with the auction starting at 2:30pm BST.

Additional information

This auction is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future auctions, please contact the specialist department. If you have queries about lots purchased in this auction, please contact client services.
Buyers' Obligations
ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.
If you have any questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest client services team.
From 28 June 2025, the import into the EU of non-EU property of a certain age (and in some categories above a certain value) is subject to additional requirements. Under the relevant EU Regulation, it is the Buyer's sole responsibility to assess whether any Lot meets the criteria for import into the EU. The refusal of any required Import License or Importer Statement, or any delay in obtaining such License or Statement shall not give rise to the rescission or cancelation of any Sale, nor allow any delay in making full payment for the Lot.
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*	Import low rate
	VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.
N	NOVA declaration
	This machine is subject to post-sale customs administration and, for UK Buyers, a NOVA declaration. Whilst the responsibility of submitting the NOVA rests with the Buyer to do so, Bonhams will facilitate the process by engaging an agent (SHIPPIO) to undertake the NOVA and C88 (customs) application if applicable on the Buyer's behalf. A fee to do so will be added to the Buyer's invoice, as follows: for Live Public Sales: £350 + VAT; for Timed, Online-only Sales: £195 + VAT.

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*	Import low rate
	VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.
N	NOVA declaration
	This machine is subject to post-sale customs administration and, for UK Buyers, a NOVA declaration. Whilst the responsibility of submitting the NOVA rests with the Buyer to do so, Bonhams will facilitate the process by engaging an agent (SHIPPIO) to undertake the NOVA and C88 (customs) application if applicable on the Buyer's behalf. A fee to do so will be added to the Buyer's invoice, as follows: for Live Public Sales: £350 + VAT; for Timed, Online-only Sales: £195 + VAT.

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The Connoisseurs Collection, Part II, c.1961 Lilac 125cc CF40

The Connoisseurs Collection, Part IIc.1961 Lilac 125cc CF40Registration no. not registeredFrame no. F4-61-2980Engine no. C0-2795

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The Connoisseurs Collection, Part II
c.1961 Lilac 125cc CF40
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. F4-61-2980
Engine no. C0-2795