Mecum is to auction the Don Vesco Silver Bird/Lightning Bolt, which set a new Land Speed Record for a motorcycle in 1975 by becoming the first bike to top 300mph. It’s up for grabs at the Glendale Auction on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
During the 1970s Vesco developed the Silver Bird, a radically streamlined motorcycle driven by a pair of Yamaha TZ750 engines. Each two-stroke powerplant displaced 750cc, producing combined muscle of between 300bhp and 320bhp, and they sat in an aluminium monocoque over a chassis with a 20ft wheelbase.
On September 28, 1975, Don took the machine to the Bonneville Salt Flats, where it made history as the first motorcycle to exceed 300mph. That run earned him both the AMA National Flying Mile record at 303.812mph and the FIM International Flying Mile record at 302.928mph. At the time he said: ““Once we knew it would do 300mph, the question became how much more was left.”
Three years later, with backing from Kawasaki, Don Vesco returned with an extensively revised streamliner, now renamed Lightning Bolt. The new incarnation featured twin-turbocharged 1000cc Kawasaki four-stroke engines and a striking new livery. There was also a longer, more refined tail and cleaner airflow management around the wheel bearings, while the engines had a significantly higher combined output of well over 500bhp.
Once again at Bonneville he raised the bar dramatically, setting a new record speed of 318.598mph – a benchmark so formidable it would remain unbeaten for the next 12 years.
Unlike some of Don Vesco’s other record machines (such as Big Red, which is preserved in the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum), Silver Bird/Lightning Bolt – which now wears a split livery reflecting its history – entered private ownership.
It’s being offered at Mecum‘s Glendale sale on March 21, and comes with a display-only Yamaha TZ750 engine, a driving suit, helmet, boots and a collection of vintage photos, plus a 22-foot motorcycle trailer. It’s available at no reserve, and more details can be found here.
