London A vintage motorcycle built in the 1930s set a British record when it sold for more than £200,000 at auction this week.

The classic 1939 Vincent-HRD 998cc Series-A Rapide went for £214,800 at the Bonhams sale of the Brian R. Verrall Collection in London on Monday.

The machine features a 45bhp V-twin engine, a foot gearchange instead of a hand-operated gearlever, a four-speed gearbox instead of two or three and a side stand.

The new record was set only hours after the previous British record was smashed by an ex-Roland Martin, Brooklands, 1927 Zenith-JAP 8/4hp Championship Motorcycle Combination, which sold for £177,500 at the same auction.

Before the sale the most expensive British motorcycle to be sold at auction was a 1934 Brough Superior 996cc SS100, which made £166,500 in April.

The auction in New Bond Street attracted more than 300 bidders, as well as telephone bidders from around the world.

Ben Walker, head of the Bonhams motorcycle department, said that the auctioneers were delighted by the results. “The success of the sale had much to do with the discrimination and good judgment Brian Verrall had when he built this outstanding collection,” he said.