A Harley-Davidson owned by the Pope has sold at a Paris auction for the “bargain” price of $67,700.
The Harley Heritage Softail was one of two Harleys gifted to Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate Harley-Davidson’s 110th anniversary last year.
Pope Francis with the Harley DynaWhen he resigned in 2013, Pope Benedict was replaced by Pope Francis who decided to sell the bikes for homeless charities in Rome.
The first bike, a Dyna Super Glide, sold for $364,476, while a Harley leather jacket also sold for an astounding $86,829 at the Bonhams auction at Les Grandes Marques du Monde in Paris in 2014.
Ben Walker, head of motorcycles at Bonhams motorcycles, declared the result “a world record for a 21st century Harley-Davidson”.
The second Harley, a 2013 Heritage Softail Classic, went to auction at this week’s Les Grandes Marques du Monde, valued at €15-25,000 (about $A21-36,000).
While it sold for double the estimate, it was still well short of the record price paid for the first and therefore represents a bargain for the undisclosed buyer.
Both bikes feature signatures on the tank of the Pope and Harley icon Willie G. Davidson, grandson of one of Harley-Davidson’s founders and his son, Bill Davidson.
Meanwhile, a pair of motorcycle made by gun company Winchester are about to go to auction and could set records.
A 1910 Winchester 6HP which sold for $US580,000 in 2013 to an avid gun collector making it one of the highest-priced bikes in the world.
It was one of only two Winchester motorcycles known to exist, the other failed to meet reserve and was passed in with a high bid of $520,000.
Both Winchesters will go to auction on March 15-16 next month at James D. Julia, the world’s foremost firearm auctioneers, not at motorcycle auctioneers such as Bonhams, Mecum or Gooding.