The New Zealand auction house Webbs has a habit of uncovering some gems for its sales, and this is the star of its next show: a 1968 Bultaco TSS racer campaigned by local legend Ginger Molloy. And don’t those lines still look beautiful, over four decades later? Molloy’s story is a classic rags-to-riches one: he was a young lad from rural New Zealand who pursued a dream to race in Europe, and achieved great success—with the help of Frank Sheene, Barry’s father. In 1966, Molloy gave Bultaco the first Spanish victory in a World Championship event, at the Grand Prix of Ulster. And in 1970, he came second to Giacomo Agostini in the 500cc championship. The bike you see here, up for sale on 19 October, took Molloy to third place in the 1968 championship behind the Yamahas of Phil Read and Bill Ivy. According to the Webbs catalog, “This historic Bultaco has remained in Ginger Molloy’s possession since. Three years ago, Ginger personally stripped down and rebuilt the machine … Safe to say, the machine is in immaculate condition, reflecting the pragmatic attention that can come only from competing at the very highest level of motorcycling.” The estimate is NZ$65-85,000, or US$50,000-66,000.
