Ultra-exclusive street bike comes under the hammer with Silverstone Auctions • Homologation version of Foggy Petronas FP1 • Only 7km from new • One of just 100 road bikes • Rare chance to own a piece of motorcycling legend • Expecting to reach £30-35,000 on February 23.
Silverstone Auctions is proud to announce that it will be offering the first ever public auction of a Foggy Petronas FP1 road bike on February 23, 2019, at the Race Retro Classic Car Sale.
One of the rarest superbikes ever built, just 150 examples (50 for racing, 100 for public sale) were made in 2002 as a result of an ambitious plan between Petronas and four-time World Superbike champion, Carl Fogarty. The goal was to bring the Malaysian oil giant to the forefront of the motorcycling world by building its own superbike and winning the premier class of production racing.
Homologation rules in order to go racing required the Foggy Petronas team to manufacture 150 road-going versions of its three-cylinder, fire-spitting FP1 racer. Manufactured for Petronas by Essex-based engineering firm, MSX International, the bike was built around a Suter Racing 899.5cc four-stroke, triple engine that produced 127.4 hp at 10,000rpm and 67.9ft/lbs of torque at 9,7000rpm.
With an exotic specification to mirror that of its race version, the FP1 came dripping in the best chassis components available at the time, such as Öhlins suspension, Brembo brakes and OZ Racing wheels, all wrapped up in distinctive designed carbon fibre bodywork. The first batch of 75 machines were manufactured in the UK, with the subsequent 75 built in Malaysia, allowing the big budget racing plan to go
ahead.
After four seasons of World Superbike racing finished in 2006 and a reported £30 million budget, the bike failed to win a race but did come close once. Even rarer than silverware were sightings of its much-lauded street variant.
With just a small number sold in a very limited time in Malaysia, the lack of a global dealer network prevented riders from getting behind the bars of part of an incredible racing story. But this changes at the Race Retro International Historic Motorsport Show on February 23 when this bike will be the first Foggy Petronas FP1 to be publicly auctioned.
This particular example was originally bought by a company who planned to properly reintroduce the FP1 under a different name. In the hands of its private owner, the bodywork has been cosmetically restored to the highest possible standard with the stunning panache green Petronas livery re-applied by the company responsible for the original branding of the bikes.
Despite having only covered a delivery mileage of 7 km, the vendor has chosen to fully service the FP1 with all fluids changed, a new battery installed, and all the major components checked and readied for use. The electronic dash is fully functional, the bike starts and runs cleanly, with the engine holding good oil pressure.
Roger Taylor, Classic Vehicle Consignor for Silverstone Auctions said: “The Foggy Petronas FP1 is a very attractive, well-engineered superbike that has become something of motorcycling legend. Despite being 17 years old, its stunning design and sheer rarity of this machine makes it an incredibly desirable bike for a collector or enthusiast.
“The example we have for auction is in incredible condition and comes complete with Type Approval documentation and NOVA. We are sure the next owner wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation to add to the 7 kms it has covered and hear its three-cylinder engine howl at 10,000rpm!”
The auction for the FP1, along with an ex James Macbride / Andy Hinton / Jason Griffiths 2005 Yamaha R6 5SL Isle of Man Supersport TT race bike, takes place on Saturday February 23 at The Race Retro Classic Car Sale, held within the Race Retro International Historic Motorsport Show at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry (CV8 2LG) with viewings happening on Friday February 22, 09:30 – 17:00.
The Foggy Petronas FP1 bike will also be displayed on the Carole Nash at London’s ExCeL on February 15-17.