1954 AJS E95 Porcupine could smash auction records at $750k

Called the Porcupine (due to the spiked cooling fins on its cylinder heads), this 1954 racing bike was one of just four built by British motorcycle manufacturer AJS. (Another of the four, incidentally, won first place when Pebble Beach inaugurated its first motorcycle class in 2009.) The centerpiece of the collection at England's National Motorcycle Museum, this particular example has recently undergone an extensive overhaul and is expected to fetch upwards of $750,000.

The AJS is just one of the 50 motorcycles on the docket for the annual event this year, part of Bonhams' extensive motorcycle auction circuit that sells around 1,300 motorbikes – or about $8 million worth – every year.