WALWORTH, WIS.- Mecum Auctions will offer a rare piece of celebrity history at the second annual Anaheim auction this Nov. 21-23 at the Anaheim Convention Center a motorcycle once owned and ridden by The King of Cool Steve McQueen.
As the highest paid actor of his time, McQueen is best remembered for his roles in movies like The Great Escape, The Getaway, Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair. In addition to his acting career, McQueen was an avid motorcycle and racecar enthusiast and a participant in off-road motorcycle racing. By the time of his death in 1980, McQueen had built up a personal collection of more than 100 classic rides.
While a part of McQueens vast motorcycle collection, this 1938 Harley-Davidson WLD (Lot S138.1) is more than just one of a hundred, its one that McQueen actually rode, and it is now set to ride Mecums red carpet in Anaheim.
Theres a big difference between a bike that McQueen owned and bike that McQueen rode, commented Mecum Auctions Founder and President Dana Mecum.
The original and unrestored motorcycle was sold at the 1984 Steve McQueen estate sale at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas. This rare Solo Sport edition features a Silver Tan and Sunshine Blue paint scheme and shows just 21,000 miles on its odometer. McQueens fully documented ownership will accompany the sale in addition to his personal tools found wrapped in a piece of denim in the frame-mounted tool box.
This storied piece of McQueen history will cross Mecums auction block on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Anaheim.