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The Las Vegas Bonhams motorcycle auction which took place on Thursday, January 24 has turned out to be a historic event. 128 motorcycles were auctioned in the event but what made this auction historic, is a motorcycle from Triumph. Obviously there were boatloads of rare and famous motorcycles at the event, but Steve McQueen’s Triumph stole the show.
It is mostly because of the fact that the motorcycle fetched nearly double the expected price. Steve McQueen’s 1938 500cc 5T Speed Twin, which gave its name to the 2019 Triumph Speed Twin, was sold for £118,278 i.e. over 1.1 crore! The expected price was £65,000 which comes around 60 lakhs.
While Steve McQueen is known to be a big fan of Triumph Motorcycles, there aren’t a lot of motorcycles still left that the film star rode. And the particular model in question here has changed hands quite a few times since it was sold at the original McQueen estate auction in 1984. What probably fetched the motorcycle such a hefty price is probably the condition of the motorcycle. Despite its age, the motorcycle is in immaculate condition because McQueen had his friend, mechanic and Great Escape fence jumper, Bud Ekins do a complete restoration on the bike in the mid-1970s. Even Ekin’s decal is still there on the motorcycle.
This just proves that the price of classic vehicles can be outrageously high and even more so if they were associated with a famous personality but that, is not a necessity. Case in point, the 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO which was sold for around $70 Million (400 crore)!
It is mostly because of the fact that the motorcycle fetched nearly double the expected price. Steve McQueen’s 1938 500cc 5T Speed Twin, which gave its name to the 2019 Triumph Speed Twin, was sold for £118,278 i.e. over 1.1 crore! The expected price was £65,000 which comes around 60 lakhs.
While Steve McQueen is known to be a big fan of Triumph Motorcycles, there aren’t a lot of motorcycles still left that the film star rode. And the particular model in question here has changed hands quite a few times since it was sold at the original McQueen estate auction in 1984. What probably fetched the motorcycle such a hefty price is probably the condition of the motorcycle. Despite its age, the motorcycle is in immaculate condition because McQueen had his friend, mechanic and Great Escape fence jumper, Bud Ekins do a complete restoration on the bike in the mid-1970s. Even Ekin’s decal is still there on the motorcycle.
This just proves that the price of classic vehicles can be outrageously high and even more so if they were associated with a famous personality but that, is not a necessity. Case in point, the 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO which was sold for around $70 Million (400 crore)!
