Bonhams, the premiere auction house most closely associated with all things The Steve McQueen, proudly announced plans to sell a 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross off-road motorcycle once owned and ridden by King of Cool in “On Any Sunday”, at its Las Vegas sale on 10th January at the Bally’s Hotel & Casino. Bonhams said the motorcycle comes with “a large number of documents supporting its provenance and authenticity.”
With its signature red and chrome glistening gas tank, the Husqvarna, or “Husky” was a stunning beauty of a bike, and a mud-slinging beast on the American motocross circuit. When Steve McQueen dropped his trusty Triumph in favor of the new Husqvarna 400 Cross– overnight Husky became the only off-road bike that seemed to matter. McQueen, who was the highest-paid star of the silver screen, a major sex symbol and an obsessed motorhead with a staggering collection of sports cars, four-wheelers and bikes, has become a lover of Husky in early seventies. The Husky also got a starring role alongside Steve McQueen (as well as riding legends Mert Lawwill and Malcolm Smith) in Director Bruce Brown’s classic– ‘On Any Sunday’.
The last McQueen bike sold at auction, also a 400 Cross, albeit a 1971 version, set a world record when it sold in 2011 for $144,500 (£91,000).
Beside Husqvarna 400 Cross, owned and ridden by the Hollywood icon, McQueen, Bonhams will offer more impressive lineup of machines, including condition 1902 Rambler from the Indian Motorcycle Museum and a quartet of BMW racing motorcycles that features the rare and desirable Kompressor.
