Steve McQueen's cherished 1971 off-road motorcycle that the King of Cool kept until his death i
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- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- The 1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross is said to be one of the actor's favourite bikes in an extensive collection, which he kept until his death in 1980....
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2022-08-23T16:05:58Z
A motorcycle cherished by the King of Cool, Steve McQueen, and kept in his collection until he died in 1980 was offered to the highest bidder on Friday and sold for a whopping $186,500 (£157,400).
The 1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross is said to be one of the actor's favourite bikes in an extensive collection, and it has barely been ridden or modified since he owned it.
The off-road motorbike went to the block at the Bonhams Quail Lodge auction held during Monterey Car Week in California, with the winning bid well above the pre-sale estimate.
McQueen was famously a talented rider and often entered US competitions, often favouring to enter on motorcycles from Swedish brand Husqvarna, which was dominating the off-road racing scene in the sixties and seventies.
His love of two wheels partly inspired the 1971 motorcycle racing documentary film On Any Sunday, in which the Indiana-born actor features astride a very similar machine to this one.
That Husqvarna motorbike - which is mechanically very similar - was also sold by Bonhams at auction four years ago, reaching $230,500.
While this examples didn't quite live up to that fee, its $186,000 winning price was well above the $130,000 lower estimate and even exceeded the top pre-sale prediction of $180,000.
Demand for the motorcycle was high, mainly due to its untouched condition and the documentation sold with it to prove it as one of the most cherished in the actor's huge two-wheeled collection.
At one point in his life, McQueen reportedly owned up to 200 motorcycles - and among them was this 1971 model.
It's one of many the King of Cool had, but this is claimed to be his favourite.
And, if the seller is to be believed, it has not been ridden since it was in the hands of the silver screen icon.
Bonhams said before the sale that it is 'perhaps the best known of all McQueen's Huskys by virtue of a known provenance and documentation from the time it was acquired by the star and remaining in his possession as one of his go-to bikes for the rest of his life' and was eventually sold as part of his estate.
It was lot number 664 at the Steve McQueen Auction at Imperial Palace in November 1984, in Las Vegas, Nevada, some four years after his death.
The bike has since passed through three subsequent owners before being acquired by the vendor 11 years ago.
While McQueen had various examples that were used as 'parts bikes' for spares, this wasn't the case with frame number 'MI3845', the auction house said.
It was sold with a certificate of authenticity, plus the bill of sale issued to the buyer at the 1984 Estate Auction, and the original registration document in the name Solar Productions that accompanied the lot when it appeared on the California stage on Friday.
The original 1984 estate auction lot tag was also part of the sale with the machine as additional provenance.
The bike is described by the seller as being in 'last ridden by McQueen' condition, and 'not started', with all the dents and scratches from the King of Cool's hard riding.
It even retains all of the McQueen-implemented modifications, which includes a leather gear shift protector and a spare spark plug he duct-taped to the frame in case it was needed while out riding.
In its heyday, the 400 Cross combined fearsome power and superb handling thanks to its lightweight frame and single-cylinder 400cc engine, but was also renowned for being difficult to ride.
It was produced in a period before plastics were used in motorcycle manufacturing, meaning it has a sculpted aluminium fuel tank with a polished section to help reduce marring where the rider meets the bike.
'The preservation of MI3845 is a credit to the discerning owners post McQueen who have preserved MI3845 in its original McQueen owned state,' the auction house said before the hammer dropped on Friday.
'While other McQueen motorcycles have come to light in recent times, there can be no doubt as to the history and originality of this machine,' Bonhams added.
'It is a 'blue chip' piece of McQueen memorabilia, if you like, suitable for shows, demos - after some sympathetic recommissioning - or museum display use, using the legend 'as last ridden by the late and utterly charismatic Steve McQueen' as a fitting epitaph.'
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Beautiful classic bike!!! From my era...
I raced a 250 in the mid 70s!! In Michigan!!!😁😁😁😁🏍🏍🏍🏁🍺🍺🍺
I still remember Steve riding that bike in the movie On Any Sunday.i love that movie.brings back alot of great memories of riding my dirt bike as a kid.
He bought a Husky for cash right out of Torsten Hallman's trailer at Carlsbad ( the yellow plate one). I saw him and Malcom
out in the Jurupa wash by the dealership testing the new bikes.. what a sight!.. Like space aliens at that time.
71 husky 400cr he rode in the film on any Sunday, but he also rode his 250 in the film as well. his first husky was 360 but he did not keep that very long,
I had the same one as a young man getting done military training in April 1971 , 400 Husky cost right around or a little over1000 dollars back then . Thing was a beast for power even by todays higher tech standards.
Does anybody remember the motorcycle fold out poster, with a guy in a yellow jersey getting air at a motocross event. The picture was taken from behind and made the rider look like he was 100ft. in the air. I believe he was on a Husky, I had that pinned to my bedroom wall, what an awesome shot.
I have a 71 Husqvarna 400 cross,bad to the bone
One of my first bikes I bought used in around 1975 for about $700 ( I was 14) was a 1972 CR 400 Husky just like Steve’s. The kick starter was on the left and it had the tickler carb. (No choke). It was a great bike for its time. I’ve owned dozens of bikes in my life and that one has a special place in my heart. My other bike I love is a 2001 restored YZ 426 and a new 2022 Beta 300rr. I’m 61 now and still ride the dirt!
It was a great bike for it's time....news for you and everyone else that mock mx bikes of this era by being good for it's time....the late 60's and early 70's up until the 1973 points paying USGP at Carlsbad when team maico showed up with forward mounted shock marked the end of the best era of motocross....
Who cares about your or anybody else's modern rides when commenting on a bike of this era....
My first bike I bought in the '60s was a volos $60 500 single dollar set volo set British bike I was 15 years old 16 17
Actually, Steve's was a 1971, the last of the 4-speeds that shifted on the right side. Starting in 1972, they were 5-speeds (and later 6-speeds) and shifted on the left. They also gained about 10+ pounds from 1971 to 1972.
I don't know if I could ride that though. What if I thought I was really kicking ass but Steve looked down from Heaven and was like "psht, mediocre!" I'd be mortified!
I think Steve would balk at what someone would pay for one of his bikes. I'm sure he would agree that he was just a common dude as the rest of us when it came to riding a dirt bike...grant you though he could ride just check out the Honda Elsinore promo and how good of a rider he was
His go to bike....but hardly ridden....hmm.
Cool bike, I actually remember them. Biggest issue with Huskies from this era was weight and believe it or not reliability, remember they had points. So if you rode through a shallow stream or large puddle you could be screwed. Strictly from a racing perspective they were too heavy, somewhat underpowered and less reliable than the Japanese bikes. A 1975 Honda CR250 was significantly faster than all European 250’s and able to keep up with many large bore Euro bikes from 1970-1973.
Well if you were alive in 1971 and could time travel up to 1975 and bring the Honda back to 1971. But truth in the dirt, the European motocross bikes were kings in late 1960s to 1973. I rode a Bultaco 250 Pursang back then in Southern CA.
I love when people put there modern day perspective on
What a stupid comment.....the European bikes were the blue print for not only Honda elsinores but the superior YZ250,A and 360 models. Also news flash bud....your superior Honda Elsinore of that era he had points as well and as far as the 250 models were concerned they made better desert bikes than mx bikes because of their long slack wheelbase/geometry. The Jones clan spent endless hours cutting those bikes to improve handling for mx.....
The early to mid70's era of motocross is a sacred era. You can't judge anything of that era by progress....it was the best time in motocross....open face helmets jofa's and Carrera 98 goggles and goatskin leathers say it all
@@halseyknox Yes, my bike did have points and I too had the frame cut to shorten the frame and increase travel. However, I respectfully disagree with you in terms of the blue print for CR, RM or YZ’s. I may have only been 14 but I clearly remember seeing the same two or three guys breaking down all the time. Two guys were on early model Huskies and the other was the biggest POS of all, a 1973 Maico 400 (I think?). My 250 was lighter and faster and it probably didn’t hurt having a fearless 139lbs kid riding. The other guys were full grown men in their mid to late 20’s. I too cherish that era of riding and racing, probably the best two or three years of my life. The concept and philosophy behind the European bikes and the Japanese bikes were completely different on multiple fronts. By the time I turned 16, maybe 17 I never again saw a European bike, not one. IMHO
Quite a guy, I like the film by Greg Lauri about Steve's life called "Icon" when in his later years he put his faith in The Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen!
Yes 250 was cooler I thought
It's not a aluminum tank it's steel....if your going comment on a iconic piece of mx history get your facts straight on something so simple