16 February 2023 , 13:07
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A rare 1908 Harley-Davidson has gone under the hammer for $935,000 (nearly £800,000) – making it the most expensive bike ever sold. The vintage Strap Tank is the brand's earliest model still available, with the few prototypes that preceded it "long gone".
Mecum Auctions, in Las Vegas, America, put the vintage bike up for sale with a starting price of $850,000 (£698,460) and it reached a final price of $935,000 (£767,355) including the buyer's premium. The complete motorbike was found in a barn in Wisconsin in 1941 by David Uihlein. He kept it at his home for the next 66 years before seeking the help of Paul Freehill from Indiana to restore the vintage vehicle.
It sold for $935,000 (£767,355) (Jam Press Vid/Mecum Auctions)"We marketed the bike well, and Harley is by far the most famous American motorcycle brand, so we had a feeling it would do well in auction," said Greg Arnold.
"But obviously you are surprised anytime you sell the most expensive bike ever!!
Vintage motorcycle website The Vintagent, which tracks the sale of classic motorbikes at auction, confirmed the Harley-Davidson Strap Tank fetched the highest price ever bid.
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The rare motorcycle still has many original parts including the wheels, tank, engine belt pulley, seat cover and muffler sleeve.
Of the 450 Strap Tanks produced by Harley-Davidson in 1908, fewer than a dozen are believed to exist.
Fewer still would be in as good a condition as the one sold at the Las Vegas auction.
Mecum Auctions says on their website: “In terms of Harley-Davidson history, there is no more important model than the legendary Strap Tank.
"It's the first of the breed, and the earliest Harley-Davidson model one will ever find, as the prototypes that preceded it are long gone."
The buyer of the vintage motorbike was not named.