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NEWS
McQueen Hog goes under the hammer
A rare 1938 Harley-Davidson WLD owned and ridden by the late, great Steve McQueen is up for auction in California. And it's bound to collect a tidy sumFans of the late Hollywood great Steve McQueen, aka ‘The King of Cool’, will soon have a chance to own one of the actor’s motorcycles.
Mecum Auctions will be offering McQueen’s 1938 Harley-Davidson WLD at its upcoming Anaheim auction, due to be held in the LA suburb on Saturday, November 23.
The star of blockbuster movies including The Great Escape, The Getaway, Bullitt, and The Magnificent Seven, among others, McQueen was also a passionate motorcyclist – he rode bikes himself in several films and competed in several high-profile off-road races, including the Baja 1000.
While the famed 'jump for freedom' in The Great Escape was actually performed by stunt rider Bud Ekins for insurance reasons, McQueen did ride a bike in the film – as a German guard chasing himself.
By his death, from cancer, in 1980, McQueen had assembled a prized collection of over 100 motorcycles.
However, Mecum Auctions’ President, Dana Mecum, points out that this Harley was actually ridden by McQueen.
“There’s a big difference between a bike that McQueen owned and bike that McQueen rode,” says Mecum.
Last sold at the 1984 Steve McQueen estate sale in Las Vegas, the bike is being offered in an original and unrestored condition in a Silver Tan and Sunshine Blue livery with 21,000 miles on its clock. Also included in the lot are McQueen’s personal tools (wrapped in denim in the frame-mounted toolbox), and full documentation of McQueen’s ownership of the bike.
No estimated price range is offered for the bike but today anything to do with McQueen is hot property. The Porsche 911 he drove in Le Mans sold at auction for nearly $1.5m. A motorcycle like this, with its strong ties to the cultural icon, is also bound to fetch a tidy sum.
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Written byBikesales Staff
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