More than $3.2m has been paid for some rare racing bikes, Ducatis, Harleys and a couple of Indians owned by Hollywood legend and motorcycle fanatic Steve McQueen.
The Bonhams auction at Bally’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas included one of the best collections of historic Ducatis in the world and a big collection of rare Harleys including the earliest known Sportster.
Top price of $175,500 was paid for a new 1978 Ducati 900 NCR, the same model that propelled legendary racer Mike Hailwood to a victorious comeback (after an 11 year hiatus) at the Isle of Man and Mallory Park.
While the auction didn’t break the record of the previous year when a record $500,000 was paid for a 1939 BMW Rennsport 255 Kompressor, a 1954 BMW Rennsport RS54 fetched $126,000.
Other highlights were a 1940 Harley-Davidson EL that brought in $159,000 and $137,000 paid for a 1973 750SS Imola Short Stroke based on the motorcycle that Paul Smart rode to victory at the 1972 Imola GP.
Indian Motorcycles belonging to McQueen also yielded strong sales with $126,000 paid for a 1923 Big Chief with Princess sidecar which was restored by Von Dutch in 1969 and $80,500 for a 1935 Chief.
Steve McQueen's 1923 Indian Big Chief