Ducati Monster Forum

I recently ran across some photographs, taken by my father-in-law, of Britten #7 at the Barber Museum.  Armed with his Leica R4,  Chris rode his Triumph Trophy from Dallas TX to Barber for a weekend of race watching and vintage motorcycle worshiping.  Seeing the Britten in person was his favorite part of the trip.

While looking at the pics, it occurred to me that I had no idea where the other 9 bikes were.  It would be an amazing accomplishment to see all 10 in person.  Granted, it could take a lifetime to pull that off!!

Three of the bikes are in New Zealand, five in the US, one in Italy and one is in the Netherlands.

Here is what I’ve found so far.

Britten #1
Britten Motorcycle Company, NZ.  Known as the Cardinal Britten.

Britten #2
Museum of New Zealand, NZ.  Purchased by Te Papa Tongarewa in 1995.

Britten #3
Owned by Robert Crepaldi in Italy.  This was the first Britten purchased by a customer.  Known as the CR&S Britten.  John Britten nicknamed it “Black Beauty.”

Britten #4
Owned by Jim Hunter in the US

Britten #5
Owned by Mark Stewart in the US

Britten #6
Owned by Kevin Grant in NZ.  Known as BEARS.

Britten #7
Owned by the Barber Museum in US.

Britten #8
Owned by Michael Canepa in the US

Britten #9
Owned by Gary Turner in the Netherlands. 

Britten #10
Michael Iannuccilli purchased #10 in 1999, and sold it to the Solvang Vintage Museum.  It remained crated until 2004, and is the only Britten that wasn’t raced.

The prototype V1000 “Pre Cursor”,  Aero D one, and Aero D zero (Ducati engine) are also in a museum in NZ.


I'm still doing research on the bikes.  If anyone has info to add, please do!!  It may be an unrealistic goal, but viewing each of these bikes in person has been added to my bucket list.

A quick google search got me some results:

According to this Wikipedia Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Britten)
The Britten Website (http://www.britten.co.nz/) also has a list of where each of the bikes are but it doesn't tell how recent the listings are.

Yep, got that one in my post.  That is #2. 

The website lists every single one....

Yes, but it doesn't look like it has been updated since 2000.  It doesn't include Michael Iannuccilli selling his to the Solvang Museum.  My list is more up to date that theirs. 

My friend's brother, Charles Nearburg, has one here in Dallas. I have never seen it but it does exist. Charles told me so at his son's funeral in January 2005. It came from a previous owner in California. I have no idea of the number on the bike.

I've seen the one in solving.  It's a stunning bike, and a stunning accomplishment
For Britten and his team.  The solving museum has a rotating display, so it may not
Always be visible.

I remembered that you knew the owner of one of the bikes, but didn't realize it was here in Dallas  [thumbsup]  That is awesome!  If you happen to run into him or his brother, please ask which one he bought.  It is surprising that people haven't kept up with where these bikes are.  

#7 is still at Barber, and #10 is still in the Solvang collection.  

#1, #2, and #6 were in NZ as of 2008.  6 Brittens were on display at the 25th Sound of Thunder Anniversary.  They had 1,2, 6, Pre Cursor, Areo D one and Aero D zero on display there.

#3 is currently in the private museum of Giorgio Sarti. (This news is less than a month old.)


I'm still looking at 4,5,8 and 9.  I read that #5 (Mark Stewart's) is still owned by him, and on static display, but I haven't been able to confirm that yet.

My wild ass guess is that Mr. Nearburg must have bought #4 or #8.  An anonymous sale went through for one of the bikes in August of 2005, and the asking price was around $250k  :o

I saw the one at the museum in Solvang a couple years ago.  Very cool little place, very cool bike:

(http://gerhartdesign.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Misc-Bikes/i-3H7VFtS/0/M/CA-trip10-M.jpg) (http://gerhartdesign.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Misc-Bikes/14527694_cd5W7p#1501670698_3H7VFtS-A-LB)

seen 1 at Barber motorsports museum , well worth the trip there.

That could the sale I referred to. At the funeral in January he told me about the bike in Cali but I don't believe he had his hands on it at that time. He had been to see it and heard it run but didn't ride it. The sale could have taken a few months to go through. Makes sense. It supposedly is on display at his office... or was. And he has the coin to spend that much. [thumbsup]

The Britten that was purchased by Charles Nearburg is #8, the Mansson Titanium/10 K Racing bike that was ridden by Mike Barnes #34 at Daytona twice and won in 1998. Mike Canepa was 10K Racing and my partner in Mansson Titanium, It was also the Britten featured in the 1999 Fast Dates Calendar [Dec] where it is incorrectly call the "V1100 Britten".
#8 was not sold for $250,000, much less. That is a rumor, I don't think it is proper to disclose the actual selling price.

Tom Hunter still has #4 the last I heard. #4 was in the original Guggenheim Art of Motorcycle exhibit.
Calendar Photo
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1019503621098&set=a.1019502541071.4068.1630387685&type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1019503621098&set=a.1019502541071.4068.1630387685&type=3&theater)

Why don't you leave your photo album password here?  [thumbsup]  :D

I'm sure you have tons of pictures and stories  8)

pictures aren't great but:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/36088_1500546118836_914071_n.jpg?oh=033436e14486380bc59e7728c53f6b2c&oe=5592394E&__gda__=1434707327_61a4716ae3956ed1de84cb1bd116d180)

(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/36088_1500546078835_503236_n.jpg?oh=7e18b8382e1a597ab5ad2b0529b7355f&oe=558FBE82)


for those who use the Facebook, I went to the solvang museum a couple years ago:  https://www.facebook.com/AndyKingInOC/media_set?set=a.1500539438669.65413.1389679964&type=3 (https://www.facebook.com/AndyKingInOC/media_set?set=a.1500539438669.65413.1389679964&type=3)

I saw the one at the Barber Museum a bunch of years ago.

No idea which one it is.

The story I got on these two is that they were in a collection in Italy and were sold to a buyer in the US about a year ago.  ?#1?

(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc190/stankbone/Britten2_zpsi1nxxvpd.jpg) (http://s219.photobucket.com/user/stankbone/media/Britten2_zpsi1nxxvpd.jpg.html)

It's still crazy to me that these were homemade race bikes.