MOTORCYCLES and Hollywood stars are pretty common, with many of the modern-day royalty in Tinsel Town opting for two-wheels over four. But no superstar has been more of an authentic motorcycle fan than Steve McQueen.
McQueen famously claimed “I'm not sure whether I'm an actor who races or a racer who acts”, a statement that could not have been more true. From racing GT and sportscars to hurling himself across the desert on a dirt bike – competition was in McQueen’s blood, some would say more so than acting one.
One discipline that McQueen was more associated with than any other was the world of off-road racing or scrambling. Be it the Baja desert race or the International Scottish Six Day Trial; if it involved off-road riding the King of Cool was into it!
Now, one of the bikes owned by him and his production company is coming up for sale. The bike was bought shortly after McQueen went to see its then-owner, Bengt Åberg, racing it in a California off-road race. Liking what he saw, McQueen immediately put in an offer to buy the bike from Åberg.
The documents accompanying the bike show it changed hands on the 18th February 1969, and show it was McQueen’s production company, Solar Productions that became the owner of the bike.
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.
Before you go logging into the RM Sotheby's website, the estimate for the machine is between $80 and $100,000 – and we wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up going for much more!
