Stan Betz Collection Of Von Dutch Memorabilia To Be Sold By Bonhams & Butterfields In November

Auction action at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles Saturday 10th November 2007

Bonhams & Butterfields is proud to have been a sponsor of this year's Legend of the Motorcycle Concours d'Elegance in Half Moon Bay, California, and the leading international auction house considered it no more fitting a time to announce the sale of the Stan Betz Collection of Von Dutch Memorabilia - to be held in Los Angeles at the Petersen Automotive Museum on November 10, 2007. Collectors, fans and automotive enthusiasts are sure to agree that Stan Betz and Von Dutch were true American motoring icons.

Bonhams & Butterfields is honored to present the prestigious Stan Betz Collection during its annual auction of vintage motorbikes. For sale at auction will be hundreds of personal effects belonging to the utterly charismatic, beloved motoring personality. The personal property offered at this sale has never previously been exhibited and therefore represents a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity to own a part of the legacies of Stan Betz, owner of Betz Speed & Color and legendary Orange County street rod painter, and Von Dutch (1929-92).

The sale will feature a number of examples of Von Dutch memorabilia including motorcycle clothing. A highlight is his engraved crash helmet, considered his most personal and prized possession. A work in progress for over four decades, 'Dutch' engraved this helmet with a maker's name/trade mark each time he acquired or worked on one of that maker's motorcycles. Von Dutch added an actual baby's pacifier atop the helmet as a jibe at California's helmet law.

"Bonhams & Butterfields is thrilled to offer for sale such an important selection of Von Dutch memorabilia - reflective of his passion for motorbikes and the biking lifestyle. Whether on a billboard in Times Square, or in a magazine advertisement, his legend is as important and relevant today as it was at the beginning of his career," said Mark Osborne, V.P., U.S. Motoring Department Head and Specialist-in-charge.

The November auction will also feature a variety of assorted racing collectibles, automobilia, scale model cars, vintage and racing motorbikes and more. The illustrated auction catalogs will feature detail on the sale, available fro review online and for purchase in the weeks preceding the auction. Details on this and other Bonhams auctions are available at www.bonhams.com , updated regularly as the sale date approaches.