The late great Gary Nixon.
Almost a year after he died, the personal racing collection of two-time AMA Grand National Champion and racing Hall of Famer Gary Nixon is going up for sale. Nixon, who amassed 19 AMA National victories and 150 Grand National finishes in his 22-year pro career, passed away Aug. 5, 2011, at the age of 70.
Maybe it’s only me, but I’m struck by how long it’s taken for Nixon’s personal collection to head to auction. And what I’d really like to know is; how much of his collection has already been picked over? Only two of his earlier race bikes are being offered – a 1968 Triumph 250 and a 1967 Triumph Cub. In a career spanning 30-plus years, surely Nixon had hoarded some of his other bikes or facsimiles thereof? In fact, the only other bikes on offer are a 1986 Kawasaki 250 Ninja that Nixon is said to have raced in Mexico and a 2009 Kawasaki 250 Ninja, his personal street bike. And while I haven’t counted the total lots on offer, it looks surprisingly small given the breadth and depth of Nixon’s racing career.
Whatever lies behind the state of his motorcycle collection, there should be big interest in the rest of the items on hand, including personal racing memorabilia, photographs, motorcycle parts, and several national trophies from the earlier part of his career including trophies from Sacramento in 1964 and Santa Fe in 1963 and 1965.
Auction company Good Old Boy Country Auction will hold the sale Saturday, June 16, 2012, starting at 9 a.m., at its facilities at 545 East Locust Lane, York, PA 17406. An auction preview is scheduled for Friday, June 15, from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. More information on the auction can be found here.
