A charity auction in London this week saw the hammer fall on a custom Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, netting £60,000 for the Royal Marines’ official charity.
The bike is a tastefully created scrambler, featuring a number of modifications and one-off fabrication work inspired by the famous Commandos. The bike was created by Saltire Motorcycles in Scotland, with the sole intention of raising money for the Royal Marines’ official charity – the RMA.
Saltire started out with a bone stock Interceptor 650, and used the Royal Marines dagger (as seen on the commandos emblem) as a centrepiece for the design, mounting it on the bike’s fuel tank. The dagger is a replica of the original Fairbairn/Sykes fighting knife set upon a bed of commando beret green. The handle of the knife is made from Achnacarry Oak, sourced from the same area of the Highlands where Commando training takes place. The fuel tank is painted in the Royal Marine corps colours, with horizontal striping.
The bike also features custom-built wheels and suspension, and the leather seat is hand-stitched and marked with the words ‘Commando 80’ and ‘Falklands 40’. The stitching of the seat is also finished in the colours of the Royal Marines. The engine of the bike is finished in a ceramic coating, along with the exhaust system for optimised cooling and style.
The name of the bike was chosen as Royal Marines in the 18th century wore a leather stock around their necks, giving them the nickname Bootnecks.
Speaking about the sale of the bike, Jonathan Bell, CEO of RMA said:
“I can’t begin to thank Saltire Motorcycles enough for all their time, trouble, and expense in designing, building, and donating the fantastic Bootneck bike. It’s just an awesome machine with beauty, style, class, and power which really fitted well the brand of the Corps in understated British excellence – Craftsmanship at its best. Thank you for providing quite the most unusual and jaw-dropping auction prize we have ever had, simply unforgettable.”
