Steve McQueen’s dirt bike could fetch a small fortune
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(BIKER DAD) -Steve McQueen’s dirt bike could fetch a small fortune when it goes up for auction at RM Sotheby’s. The auction house says it was the movie star’s first Husqvarna. And it could sell for as much as $100 thousand.
Sotheby’s tells the whole story behind the bike here:
The story goes that Steve McQueen’s love affair with Husqvarna motorcycles began in 1968 when the movie star sought to find a winning machine that could fulfill his own ambitions on the racetrack. Taking the most direct route, McQueen went to watch the prolific motocross rider Bengt Åberg compete on his new two-stroke Viking 360 at a series of four races in California.
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So impressed was he with what he saw, that immediately after watching the third race in Santa Cruz, McQueen’s production company, Solar Productions of Los Angeles, made an offer for the Swedish rider’s bike, and Åberg finished the rest of the season on another machine. Åberg went on to win the World Championship on a Husqvarna in 1969 and 1970. The California ownership interest transfer form, dated 18 February 1969, indicates its purchase by McQueen’s production company, Solar Productions.
This Viking 360 was subject to a 14-month restoration completed in 2014, addressing both its cosmetics and its mechanical components, including its single-cylinder, two-stroke engine and to a four-speed gearbox. Offered on a Utah title, this Husqvarna is ready for acquisition by its next enthusiastic caretaker.