The Mike and Wendy Fairbairn Collection

By Sponsored ContentOn June 5, 2025June 9, 20251 Comment

When an auction boss sells off his stuff, it’s a good idea to pay attention. Coming up on June 14, Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd will bring The Mike & Wendy Fairbairn Collection to market. In fact, thanks to the powers of the Internet, bidding is open right now. Mike is the founding partner of RM-Sotheby’s. Over the years, he and his wife built The Car Barn for their collection. Garage Style Magazine touched on the Fairbairn Collection early on, but we were never able to get back and do a full-blown feature on the place, which always left me a little sad. The Barn featured a Main Street theme complete with storefronts that celebrated the family’s vast entrepreneurial and professional history. Very cool stuff, and packed with astonishing collectible pieces.

Interestingly, Mike and Wendy amassed quite a collection of low-mile, early Japanese performance motorcycles from the likes of Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki. Rare, these bikes largely forged the way for lightweight, sporting motorcycles that helped the Japanese motorbike industry carve out a reputation for itself. Keeping a balance is a BMW and Vespa. But there is also a host of signs and neons and displays, and a lovely gathering of automobiles. Find out more below, register to bid here , and enjoy!

Featured Lots

		Lot 144 - Canadian Vulcanizer Double Visible Red Indian Gasoline Pump Presented in excellent, show-quality condition, this 1920s double visible pump was restored by Bob Krist to automotive paint standards celebrating the Red Indian brand. Embossed, “The Canada Vulcanizer & Eqpt Co Ltd London Ont” on the front of the base, the service access cover is embossed, “Property of Supertest Petroleum Corporation London Ont.”
Lot 116 - 1985 Piaggio Vespa PK 125 Having tallied up a mere 11 miles in 22 years, this Vespa is presented in very close to mint condition. The only detractor from being entirely mint is a little bit of staining to the front steering area and inside the front cowl. Otherwise, the scooter presents exquisitely. - LEARN MORE!
Lot 117 - 1974 Yamaha RD350 Tork Induction One of the most important motorcycles in Yamaha’s extensive lineup, the RD350 was light and combined both the company’s racing DNA with cutting-edge two-stroke engineering to create a spectacularly quick and exceptionally agile motorcycle. Hugely sought after by collectors and enthusiasts, the RD350 was produced from 1973-1975, but the 1974s are especially difficult to find, particularly in well-kept condition. This one shows less than 8,000 miles and is presented in hugely original condition right down to the paint, exhaust system, and seat cover. Having been recently serviced, this is a remarkably exciting motorcycle. - LEARN MORE!
Lot 199 - 1983 Honda CX650 Turbo When Honda began offering turbocharged motorcycles in the early 1980s, it was Honda doing what Honda has long always done. Engineering, experimenting, learning. The CX650 Turbo was one of their glowing achievements. Smooth and reliable, it was also powerful and linear, and used a number of tricks from their F1 program. This CX650 shows just 106 miles on the odometer and presents largely as new. - LEARN MORE!
		Lot 13 - Sinclair Auto Tour Service Countertop Map Holder & Maps Stretching back to the 1960s, this wire rack features a lithograph tin sign and features maps from Kentucky, Tennessee (2), Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Michigan. While it might not seem all the interesting, paper collectability is on the rise, giving this setup reason for consideration.
Lot 120 - 1970 Kawasaki H1 Mach III 500 In its second year of production, the Kawasaki H1 Mach III 500 received a slightly more civilized chassis to harness the power of the 60 HP two-stroke engine. Of note about the 5-year-old professional nut-and-bolt restoration this bike received, it is said to have never needed a restoration, but got it anyway, and the dark blue paint was applied in Japan. - LEARN MORE!
		Lot 10 - Goodyear Tires Curb Sign Hailing from the 1940s, this rare Goodyear curb sign features a double-sided porcelain die-cut sign with a unique stand with the original hanging hardware. Listed as being in excellent condition, The Authentication Company (TAC) authenticated it (#500340).