This vintage motorbike found in a Yorkshire garage could fetch £25,000 at auction

The vintage AJS was in remarkably good condition after being rescued by workers called to clear a collapsed Scarborough garage where the bike had fallen into an old inspection pit.

And the motorbike - which has a Leeds number plate FNW 366 - is now attracting international attention - with buyers in Belgium, Holland and Hungary said to be particularly keen - ahead of the auction at Sledmere House

The rare 1937 model 37/2 had literally crashed through the wooden floor of the garage where it was parked up in 1967 and dropped into the 6ft void where it lay hidden by smashed planks, an old fridge and other garage rubbish.

It was only last year that men were brought in to clear the site and take everything, including the old bike, to the rubbish dump.

Andy Spicer of Driffield-based Spicers Auctioneers said: “The owner knew it was down there, but left it there.

"He told the lads they could have it if they could get it out - they did give him some money for it when they pulled it out."

To retrieve the bike they had to bring in a digger and at first all they could see of the bike was its tail light.

As it emerged they were stunned to find they were not only dealing with a top-of-the-range pre-war 990cc V-twin machine but it was hardly damaged.

Mr Spicer said: "Our research indicates that this is one of only fifteen surviving examples of the machine that cost 73 guineas, the most expensive AJS of the time.

“Since the recovery it has has been restored to concours condition by a very experienced engineer.

"He has described it as one of the simplest restorations he has done because the bike was essentially complete.

"He could hardly believe that it emerged from under all that wreckage with just a single minor dent to a mudguard.”

Mr Spice said the bike, which spent its active life in Huddersfield until 1953 and in Batley until 1965, had sparked enormous interest.

He said: “We are expecting it to attract bidding not only from all over this country but also from Continent. The pre-sale estimate is £20,000 to £25,000, so the decision not to cart it off to the rubbish tip was a good call.”

In total classic cars, motorcycles, parts and automobilia valued at over £600,000 will be going under the hammer in Saturday's sale.

The most valuable entry is a 1966 OTS Series 1 E-type Jaguar, one of the rarest and most desirable of all the E-type models.

Only 580 right hand drive cars were manufactured. Its rarity is reflected in the estimate of £75,000 to £85,000 - despite being in need of restoration.

Viewing is at Sledmere House near Driffield on Friday, July 5, and on Saturday morning from 9am until the start of the online auction at noon.

The catalogue is available at www.spicersauctioneers.com.

Also in Saturday's sale is a 1929 two-seater Rolls Royce Phantom I, which is expected to make £40,000 to £50,000.

The motorbikes range from a Monet Goyon, a French motorcycle dating from 1927, through to a KTM 450 SX, an Austrian bike manufactured in 2013.

Apart from the resurrected AJS, the big attractions include a 1949 HRD Vincent Series B Rapide, the fastest production bike on the road when it was created at 110mph.

They also include a 1988 Honda VFR 750 RC30, a 153 mph race machine created by Honda to compete in the World Superbike Championship (£15,000-£20,000)