A 1915 Cyclone motorbike once owned by Steve McQueen is to lead the sale of the EJ Collection at Mecum Auctions in Las Vegas on March 20-21.
The lot will be offered without reserve.
 The Cyclone was produced by the Joerns Motor Manufacturing Company during the early 1900s |
The Cyclone was produced in a limited run of around 300, of which six are known to have survived to the present day. They were made by the Joerns Motor Manufacturing Company, which operated for a brief period between 1912 and 1917.
It was one of the fastest bikes of its era, capable of speeds up to 111mph - almost double that of its competitors.
The sale also includes rare early motorcycles by Harley Davidson and Merkel.
Cole commented on his extraordinary collection: "I didn't really have a preference [among makes]. As long as it was a motorcycle and American-made and I didn't have one, I went after it. I just mainly tried to buy one of everything there was, and that's about it. I just went for everything.
"If my age hadn't gotten ahead of me, why I'd still be out trying to add to it, but being that I'm 89, I feel like it's time to quit. Here at my place nobody gets to see them and they need to be out where people can enjoy them."
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