This screen-used Indiana Jones sidecar sold for well over its estimate
Indiana Jones’ Soviet-built sidecar outfit from The Last Crusade has just been sold for much more than its estimate.
Indiana Jones’ Soviet-built sidecar outfit from The Last Crusade is going under the hammer, and it could cost you up to $80,000 to feel like a fedora-wearing Nazi-dodger.
Copy>If you’ve ever fancied yourself as a fedora-wearing archaeologist outrunning Nazis with your dad in the chair, you’ve missed your chance. The actual sidecar outfit used in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has just sold at auction — and it went for a staggering $138,600 (around £102,000), well over its $40,000 to $80,000 estimate (or around £39,000 and £60,000).
The bike in question is a Soviet-built Ural/KMZ K-650 dressed up by Lucasfilm’s production team to resemble a wartime BMW. Several machines were used during filming of the famous chase scene shot in Northern California, but this particular example has been photo-matched to close-up moments with both Harrison Ford and Sean Connery – including the bit where a German trooper’s front wheel rides up the Joneses’ sidecar. Yes, that one.
The K-650 was chosen for its resemblance to the German bikes of the era, but with a bit of Hollywood smoke and mirrors it was transformed into a convincing Wehrmacht machine. Painted in military drab with spray-painted markings, the bike has since undergone some light tinkering for road use: a new speedo, a running light, a brake light, a second seat, and a spare wheel out back. It’s not a runner, though, so don’t expect to fire it up and make a dash for the Austrian border. As a piece of cinema history, though, it’s about as cool as they come.
It was sold on September 4, complete with its original California title from the early ’90s, plus Lucasfilm paperwork confirming its rental back in February 1989. A nice touch for the collectors, and a firm provenance for anyone worried they might just be buying an old Soviet hack in need of some TLC.
The motorcycle and sidecar chase is one of Last Crusade’s standout sequences, combining practical effects, genuine stunt riding, and the sort of dad-son comedy that makes the Jones partnership so memorable. Forget CGI explosions – this was pure, mechanical filmmaking, with actual motorcycles ridden at speed and crashed in front of cameras.
How Much to Feel Like Indy?
Originally tipped to fetch between $40,000 and $80,000, the hammer finally fell at $138,600, proving that nostalgia, star power, and a bit of movie magic can more than double expectations.
So, while it might not be much use for your Sunday ride-outs, it’s now one of the most expensive Urals ever sold — and possibly the only one with a direct connection to Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
