I’m sure a lot of us have dreamed of owning a vehicle that starred in a movie at least once in our lives. Personally, one of the reasons I chose a Triumph Street Triple RS was because it’s something of a movie star itself, having appeared in the likes of Salt, and more recently, Birds of Prey. Now, what if you could get your hands on the real, actual bike used in a movie—say, the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE from James Bond No Time to Die?
Well, a lucky gentleman (or lady) has done just that, and paid an outstanding 138,600 British Pounds, or approximately $152,700 USD for the one-of-a-kind Triumph. It sounds absurd, really, but you could certainly say that this bike is a piece of history—both in the world of motorcycling and cinema. Now, it’s not exactly known who bought the bike, but it is known that the sale price far exceeded Christie’s Auction House’s estimated price by a whopping margin. Christie’s estimated that the bike would sell for around 20,000 to 30,000 pounds, but it turns out it sold for more than five times that price.
Those of you who’ve watched No Time To Die would be familiar with this bike as one of the main attractions at the start of the film. It was seen doing some pretty insane stuff, such as blasting through the city center and even jumping over a set of stairs. Piloted by both Daniel Craig himself, as well as his stunt crew, most of the stunts depicting the bike were done practically, proving the resilience and durability of this burly dual-purpose machine. I’ve spent quite a bit of time riding a Scrambler 1200 XE, and I can say that it is hands down my favorite scrambler, ever.
Interestingly, however, the movie bike isn’t all that different from the street bike. In fact, from a mere utility standpoint, the person who bought this bike is actually getting less than what they would otherwise have gotten if they bought the bike off the showroom floor. For starters, it doesn’t have any mirrors, and has probably gone through some abuse that would severely shorten its service life. On top of that, it doesn’t have any papers, as the bike was bought merely as a movie prop, and not a road-going vehicle. Regardless of that, the fact that it’s the actual bike used in the film just makes it a valuable collector’s item.
Perhaps the coolest thing about this bike is the fact that its proceeds will be going to a good cause—and not just a part of the proceeds, but rather, all of it. That’s right, the 138,600 Pounds it managed to sell for is all going to the Severn Hospice, an English hospice with branches in Telford and Shrewsbury. All that being said, I’m certain there’s a happy collector who is thoroughly delighted with their purchase, as well as being assured that it’s all going to a good cause.
