Photo: Triumph
$20,000 doesn't mean all that much anymore in the automotive industry. When in the market for a new vehicle, for instance, that amount of cash only lands you the cars at the bottom of the pyramid, while when it comes to motorcycles it is about as much as most of them, fully loaded, go for.
So hearing it's also the sum for which a very special British-made motorcycle plus an accompanying guitar went it's kind of a letdown. Especially considering how the special part of it comes thanks to a triple connection to Elvis Presley.
The bike itself is a Triumph T120, and it was made special by styling it in such a way as to be reminiscent of the Bonneville Desert Sled that appeared in the 1968 movie Stay Away, Joe. The film stars Elvis himself, and that's connection number one.
The second tie to the King of Rock and Roll is the fact the bike's colors (red, silver, and gold), applied by J Daar Customs, draws inspiration from the Comeback Special concert that aired the same year on NBC, marking the Elvis' return to live music after a seven-year hiatus.
The third and last connection is the bike itself. Although Elvis did not touch this particular example, the King was so impressed with the T120 Bonneville that he ordered "one for all the guys," meaning his friends. The Elvis crew, known back in the 1960s as the Memphis Mafia, got their hands on seven such new motorcycles.
Shown for the first time in October 2023 at the Barber Vintage Festival, the motorcycle was later taken to the Presley Motors Automobile Museum at Graceland for display purposes, and it finally landed in February 2024 at the Amelia Island Auction, where auction house Bonhams sold it for the rather disappointing sum of $20k.
I say disappointing because the bike was also accompanied on the lot by a Gibson Les Paul guitar. It too was painted by J Daar, and it was meant to make the connection with the Comeback Special even more obvious, because a Les Paul was what Elvis used in the concert back then.
The sellers of the pair of items seem pleased with the amount raised, calling the sum a "fantastic figure," as all the money will go to the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation.
For reference, Triumps is still selling the T120 Bonneville as part of its Modern Classics range, and it does so in exchange for $12,895. Separately, a Gibson Les Paul goes for anywhere between $1,000 and $8,000, so if you really want to split hairs, the bidders for the Elvis combo of items didn't really go out of their way to get their hands on them.
The bike itself is a Triumph T120, and it was made special by styling it in such a way as to be reminiscent of the Bonneville Desert Sled that appeared in the 1968 movie Stay Away, Joe. The film stars Elvis himself, and that's connection number one.
The second tie to the King of Rock and Roll is the fact the bike's colors (red, silver, and gold), applied by J Daar Customs, draws inspiration from the Comeback Special concert that aired the same year on NBC, marking the Elvis' return to live music after a seven-year hiatus.
The third and last connection is the bike itself. Although Elvis did not touch this particular example, the King was so impressed with the T120 Bonneville that he ordered "one for all the guys," meaning his friends. The Elvis crew, known back in the 1960s as the Memphis Mafia, got their hands on seven such new motorcycles.
Shown for the first time in October 2023 at the Barber Vintage Festival, the motorcycle was later taken to the Presley Motors Automobile Museum at Graceland for display purposes, and it finally landed in February 2024 at the Amelia Island Auction, where auction house Bonhams sold it for the rather disappointing sum of $20k.
I say disappointing because the bike was also accompanied on the lot by a Gibson Les Paul guitar. It too was painted by J Daar, and it was meant to make the connection with the Comeback Special even more obvious, because a Les Paul was what Elvis used in the concert back then.
The sellers of the pair of items seem pleased with the amount raised, calling the sum a "fantastic figure," as all the money will go to the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation.
For reference, Triumps is still selling the T120 Bonneville as part of its Modern Classics range, and it does so in exchange for $12,895. Separately, a Gibson Les Paul goes for anywhere between $1,000 and $8,000, so if you really want to split hairs, the bidders for the Elvis combo of items didn't really go out of their way to get their hands on them.
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