Steve McQueen was an avid off-road motorcycle enthusiast who often registered for races under the alias of “Harvey Mushman” in hopes of avoiding any headaches or backlash from film industry people. Which, honestly, is awesome.
The movie star turned desert racer was introduced to the Husqvarna brand by Malcolm Smith, who was already a legend himself after appearing in Bruce Brown’s iconic 1971 film.’on any sunday.’ And McQueen rode a two-stroke Husky in that movie, a big-bore 400 cross to be precise; However, their bikes also included several 250 Cross models, one of which is going to auctionWithout any reserve.
Like many of McQueen’s motorcycles, he purchased this 1972 Husqvarna 250cc motorbike through his film company Solar Productions, the same company that helped finance Bruce Brown’s film, which wanted to showcase motorcycles in a more positive light, in contrast to the contemporary media narrative in which motorcyclists were portrayed as switch-blade-carrying, patched-in outlaw biker club types (see: the wild oneOr easy Rider).
Photo by: Bonhams
With the success of Malcolm Smith andon any sunday,’ McQueen was instrumental in popularizing Husqvarna motorcycles in the United States. The first assumption was that these lightweight Scandinavian machines would never survive the rigors of high-speed desert riding. In the early 1960s, most off-road racing motorcycles were essentially road bikes that were modified for driving and racing off-road. They were, in particular, very heavy, but skilled riders could still navigate them across the desert landscape.
To prove the strength of the lightweight Swedish two-stroke, reigning 250cc World Motocross Champion Torsten Hallman was brought to the United States and given a stock Husqvarna 250 Cross from the new US distributor. Hallman traveled across America for two months, competing in nine different races, competing in 23 heats in total. And he won every single one of them, often defeating entire regions in the process.
As they say, the proof was in the Swedish pudding.
Steve McQueen’s personal 1972 Husqvarna 250cc Motocrosser (and similar 360/400cc models) are iconic pieces of off-road racing history. They are highly coveted collector’s items that sometimes command premiums when they appear at auction. So, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this model sell for well over $50,000 when it hits the auction block. bonhams.
