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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/23/century-old-motorbike-once-owned-by-steve-mcqueen-up-for-auction
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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Century-old motorbike once owned by Steve McQueen up for sale | Century-old motorbike once owned by Steve McQueen up for sale |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Pope 61ci Model L bike will be auctioned in Las Vegas and could fetch around £100,000 | Pope 61ci Model L bike will be auctioned in Las Vegas and could fetch around £100,000 |
| Sophie Dishman | Sophie Dishman |
| Tue 23 Jan 2018 18.01 GMT | Tue 23 Jan 2018 18.01 GMT |
| Last modified on Tue 23 Jan 2018 18.21 GMT | |
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| A motorcycle once owned by the Great Escape star Steve McQueen is to go on sale in Las Vegas where it is expected to sell for around £100,000. | A motorcycle once owned by the Great Escape star Steve McQueen is to go on sale in Las Vegas where it is expected to sell for around £100,000. |
| McQueen bought the Pope 61ci Model L bike, dating back to 1914, after a long search across America with his close friend and stunt driver Bud Ekins. | McQueen bought the Pope 61ci Model L bike, dating back to 1914, after a long search across America with his close friend and stunt driver Bud Ekins. |
| After years in private hands, the V-twin bike – which has classic blue bodywork, white tyres and red markings – is being sold by Bonhams at the eighth annual Las Vegas motorcycle auction on Thursday. Bidding is expected to start at £86,000. | After years in private hands, the V-twin bike – which has classic blue bodywork, white tyres and red markings – is being sold by Bonhams at the eighth annual Las Vegas motorcycle auction on Thursday. Bidding is expected to start at £86,000. |
| Ben Walker, the global head of motorcycles at the auction house, said: “We are privileged to be offering this important motorcycle for sale. It has an impeccable provenance and is presented in beautiful condition. Machines that were formerly the property of the ‘King of Cool’ are keenly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts.” | |
| The bike was created from scratch by Colonel Albert Augustus Pope and had a powerful 1,000cc engine, allowing it to reach speeds of over 70mph. It was a trailblazer as it used technology that had not been used before on a production road-going motorcycle in the US. | The bike was created from scratch by Colonel Albert Augustus Pope and had a powerful 1,000cc engine, allowing it to reach speeds of over 70mph. It was a trailblazer as it used technology that had not been used before on a production road-going motorcycle in the US. |
| After McQueen’s death in 1980, the bike was sold privately rather than at auction like most of his other automobiles. | After McQueen’s death in 1980, the bike was sold privately rather than at auction like most of his other automobiles. |
| Walker said: “This is a very rare bike indeed. We have only offered two examples of this model in the last 10 years, so that gives you an idea of just how uncommon this bike is.” | Walker said: “This is a very rare bike indeed. We have only offered two examples of this model in the last 10 years, so that gives you an idea of just how uncommon this bike is.” |
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