*Update: Fox News tells us that Presley’s last two-wheeled purchase did not, in fact, manage to reach reserve (or break records). Bids halted at $300,000, roughly the same price that was locked in for Bruce Springsteen’s 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS convertible.*
Once upon a time, the King of Rock and Roll had a bike – a 1976 Harley-Davidson FLH Bicentennial. The motorcycle was one of the countless machines Elvis Presley owned, his first having been bought with the money from his first-ever record deal (via AMN). With the star’s untimely passing in 1977, this bike is seen as the last motorcycle Presley bought while on this good earth.
As with anything else of value, the bike passed hands over the years, traveling from the showcase of a hotel owner to a museum to a chop block last year, where the Bicentennial was estimated at $2 million USD; regrettably, the winning bid locked in at a below-the-belt $800,000 USD.
Now, Elvis’s beloved H-D beastie is back up for auction with quite a bit of wiggle room in the set value, making this time “a potential record-breaking bike for a Harley-Davidson sold at auction.”
Care to place your bets on how much she’ll get this time?
Currently, a Harley-Davidson Strap Tank model holds the highest price record, having raked in an $850,000 winning bid ($935,000, if you count the auction fees). Add to this the fact that Mecum estimates only 750 Bicentennial FLHs to have ever been built, and this rare model appears poised to give that Strap Tank a run for its bid. The auction starts tomorrow, so stay tuned and hit up Mecum’s website for a front-row view of the proceedings.
How much do you think Mecum will get for Elvis’s 1976 Harley-Davidson FLH Bicentennial, his very last ride?