1963 Harley Davidson 'Captain America' Re-creation
This ad is marked as Sold
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| Lot No: 107 Built for Otis Chandler and exhibited at 'The Art of the Motorcycle' Exhibition 1963 Harley Davidson 'Captain America' Re-creation 1993 Engine no. 62FL6966 As iconic motorcycles go, "Captain America" checks all the boxes. In fact, Peter Fonda's chrome-plated ride in the 1969 flick Easy Rider might just be the best known two-wheeler ever. It's now being seen by a second generation of movie watchers. Made for a paltry $340,000, named by Time magazine as one of the 10 most important films of the 1960s, Easy Rider has to date grossed more than $50 million. As the movie's star vehicle, Captain America set styling trends. Said Cycle World magazine about the bike's influence, "Easy Rider validated the chopper as counter-cultural icon, hell on wheels for the hippie generation. Captain America provided a calling card for young, alienated, rebellious gear-heads, and almost overnight everything from Schwinn's to Honda CB750s sprouted improbably drawn out front ends and sacrilegious star-spangled paint schemes." Too bad the Captain never got to read his reviews. Even before the movie's premier, gun-toting thieves broke into the bike's storage area and made off with it. Within hours, no doubt, what was soon to be one of the world's most famous motorcycles had been hacked into its various components and scattered about the chopper underground, sold off cheap. Gone but not forgotten, Captain America has inspired many replicas over the years. Few, though, approach the almost archeological attention to detail displayed on this motorcycle. Hundreds of hours of videotape were played and replayed, movie posters pored over, studio 8 x 10s examined. Forensics-level research led to minute details being just right, like the correct-year seat studs sourced from a particular model of Chevrolet. Credit for that kind of bleary-eyed diligence goes to the man who commissioned the project, the late Otis Chandler, media magnate and prolific car-and-motorcycle collector. Numbering more than 130 machines, the thrust of Chandler's collection was important American motorcycles, and while most moto-connoisseurs would never consider acquiring a chopper, Chandler realized the historical importance on non-stock customs, especially Captain America and its partner on the silver screen, Dennis Hopper's "Billy Bike." Chandler's recreation gave Captain America a strong second act when he loaned the bike to the Guggenheim Museum for its landmark "The Art of the Motorcycle" exhibition, which in the summer of 1998 opened in New York City to rave reviews and record-setting attendance figures. The chopper quickly became one of the show's featured motorcycles and was portrayed in press materials, posters, calendars and other souvenirs. It traveled with the exhibit for the next four years, going to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in northern Spain and the Guggenheim Las Vegas. The Captain America replica and Chandler's Billy Bike clone were obtained by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation after the show's opening, and are now being offered to benefit the Foundation. If, indeed, the original Captain America is one of the world's most famous motorcycles, then here is its most famous recreation. Without reserve Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000 |
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Members profile: |
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| Advertised by: | Bonhams Motorcycle Auctions (click here to see full profile) |
| Email: | Email Advertiser |
Ad Details |
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| Property is | Sold |
| Garage Spaces (put 0 if this does not apply) | 0.00 |
| Price Info | Sold at Auction for $52,650 including buyers premium to auctioneer. |
| Make: | Harley Davidson |
| Price: | $20,000 USD |
| Model: | Chopper |
| Year: | 1963 |
| New or Used: | Used |
| Type: | Classic Vehicle / Collector Vehicle, Motorcycle |
| Stock #: | Lot # 107 |
| Which Celebrity? | Otis Chandler |
| Celebrity Owned | Yes |
For Sale at Auction |
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| Auction Sale? | Yes |
| Type of Auction | Phone Bidding, Internet Bidding, On-site Registration, Retail Auction Event, No Reserve Price, Absolute Auction (sells regardless of high bid) |
| Auction Date | 05/14/2011 |
| Auction Time | 2:00 PM PST |
| Location | Quail Lodge, Carmel, California |
| Name of Auction | Bonham's Collectors' Motorcycles and Related Memorabilia |
| Auction Website | http://www.bonhams.com/usa/auction/19391/lot/107/# |
Unique Sale Issues |
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| Type of Sale | Auction Company Sale |
Website |
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| Website | http://www.bonhams.com/usa/motorcycles/ |
Location |
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| Address | 8205 Valley Greens Dr |
| City | Carmel |
| State | CA |
| Postal Code | 93923 |
| Country | USA |
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| Phone | Sign in to see details |
| Ad id: | 15301596 |
| Ad views: | 7473 |