Ever heard of Neander? Me neither, until Legend of The Motorcycle founder Jared Zaugg mentioned the German marque in a recent Bike EXIF Interview. This drop-dead gorgeous machine is a 1929 Neander P3 1, which surfaced at a Bonhams sale in the UK a couple of years ago. Ernst Neumann-Neander used a variety of engines for his motorcycles, including Villiers, JAP and Küchen—but this is one of the very rare MAG-powered models. It’s also one of the last machines to roll off the Neander production line. Owned by a Viennese fur trader, it was sold to motorcycle collector Professor Fritz Ehn in the mid-60s. Ehn had the Neander restored—using zinc for the frame, rather than now-unavailable cadmium—and Bonhams sold the bike for £31,050, a healthy increase over the guide price. It was the largest ever sale of a single motorcycle collection, with over 300 bikes going under the hammer. Professor Ehn, we’re told, jettisoned his motorcycles to make way for a new passion … vintage tractors.
