Sold: Steve McQueen’s beautiful alcohol-powered Excelsior Super X
Steve McQueen and Bud Ekins – you’ll struggle to name a more iconic motorcycling duo. The motorcycle racer-come-actor and his stunt double Ekins were known for not only their daring stunts, but also their success in arduous desert races and flat tracking.
Away from the worlds of movies and racing, Ekins and McQueen were good friends. Proof of that is this exquisite 1926 Excelsior Super X factory-built flat tracker, gifted to McQueen by Ekins at some point in the 1970s.
An incredibly special bike in its own right, the Excelsior Super X was the first mass-produced American 740cc (45ci) V-twin, launching in 1925 and kickstarting a big V-twin trend among the likes of Indian and Harley-Davidson. Interestingly, the Super X was actually developed by Harley-Davidson’s Assistant Chief Engineer, Arthur Constantine, who took the design to Excelsior after Walter Davidson turned it down.
Due to its factory-built flat track nature, this model features a racing frame, an oversized rear fender, no front fender, short exhaust headers, and an alcohol-fuelled, race tuned engine. There’s no lighting or electrics, nor a front brake, with just a single drum on the rear.
McQueen kept this bike until his death in 1980, riding it on his Santa Paula ranch and the surrounding lanes. Sold in 1984 as part of the McQueen estate auction, was sold once again this past weekend by Mecum auctions in Las Vegas.
According to the listing, it remains unrestored since his ownership, and still runs. Sold with all the accompanying documentation, and a certificate of authenticity. A ‘king of cool’ fan has got themselves a very lovely two-wheeled companion.
Steve McQueen
Excelsior
Motorcycles
