Steve McQueen's bike fetches $47K

McQueen's Motorcycle
Jonathan Fairbanks for Artfact

An already rare object combined with a celebrity provenance is usually a recipe for a successful auction. San Francisco-based Bonhams & Butterfields recent offering of one of 1960s film star Steve McQueen's former bikes was no exception as it raced past its pre-sale estimate selling for $47,000, or 47% above the high-end of the estimate.

The Matchstick Silver Hawk first came off the assembly lines in 1931 as a replacement of the Silver Arrow line, and it would ultimately last for only four years. This particular motorcycle was part of the 1933 line and became part of McQueen's noted collection of classic motorcycles. McQueen, the star of films such as The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair and Papillon, died in 1980 at the age of 50.




www.forbes.com/collecting/2005/11/23/bonhams-motorcycle-mcqueen-cx_jf_1124pow_ls.html

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Southern Death Racer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_lZeaGGyG0

Merv24 wrote

McQueen's Motorcycle
Jonathan Fairbanks for Artfact

An already rare object combined with a celebrity provenance is usually a recipe for a successful auction. San Francisco-based Bonhams & Butterfields recent offering of one of 1960s film star Steve McQueen's former bikes was no exception as it raced past its pre-sale estimate selling for $47,000, or 47% above the high-end of the estimate.

The Matchstick Silver Hawk first came off the assembly lines in 1931 as a replacement of the Silver Arrow line, and it would ultimately last for only four years. This particular motorcycle was part of the 1933 line and became part of McQueen's noted collection of classic motorcycles. McQueen, the star of films such as The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair and Papillon, died in 1980 at the age of 50.

www.forbes.com/collecting/2005/11/23/bonhams-motorcycle-mcqueen-cx_jf_1124pow_ls.html

The Husky that he rode in "On Any Sunday" is also up for auction in Las Vagas soon (I saw the advert in Classic Bike magazine) which should go for a decent wadge of cash.

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Merv24 wrote

The Matchstick Silver Hawk

Matchless....

Whatever happened to the XKSS he had? Lovely car!

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TSSC#7

In his later years he had to buy a hanger to keep all his planes, cars and bikes in.

IIRC he was told he had to injure himself to get off a TV show and onto a film...Following that he just drove into a tree in what was a brand new car. I think that film was the Magnificent Seven (Great film)

read his Bio a couple of years ago. Made facinating reading.

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Merv24 wrote

McQueen's Motorcycle
Jonathan Fairbanks for Artfact

An already rare object combined with a celebrity provenance is usually a recipe for a successful auction. San Francisco-based Bonhams & Butterfields recent offering of one of 1960s film star Steve McQueen's former bikes was no exception as it raced past its pre-sale estimate selling for $47,000, or 47% above the high-end of the estimate.

The Matchstick Silver Hawk first came off the assembly lines in 1931 as a replacement of the Silver Arrow line, and it would ultimately last for only four years. This particular motorcycle was part of the 1933 line and became part of McQueen's noted collection of classic motorcycles. McQueen, the star of films such as The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair and Papillon, died in 1980 at the age of 50.




www.forbes.com/collecting/2005/11/23/bonhams-motorcycle-mcqueen-cx_jf_1124pow_ls.html

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH


Matchstick... PMSL

it wouldn't be half as funny if they hadn't gotten it correct in the little spec panel on the left.

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Great Prophet of Veedism.
non quod sed quomodo
"BBQ fluid is a sweaty one night stand compared to the long term relationship of a properly burning wood fire."
Cool in a fuddy-duddy old fart kinda way - Wingnut

As coincidence would have it, I'm going here today to see if our dualsport club can borrow the Desert Sled for our booth at the bike show.

www.trevdeeley.com/custom/collection.html

There's a couple of old Yamaha racers that Barry Sheene rode when he was employed by Deeley and Yamaha Canada there also.

RiceBurner wrote

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH


Matchstick... PMSL

it wouldn't be half as funny if they hadn't gotten it correct in the little spec panel on the left.

Daytona wrote

Matchless....

Whatever happened to the XKSS he had? Lovely car!

Teach me to copy and paste from a Septic site and not proof read it

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Southern Death Racer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_lZeaGGyG0