Some of the personal antique cars, motorcycles and effects from the estate of the late Bud Ekins will be up for sale at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles on November 13.
Bud Ekins was a prolific motorcycle rider, participating in many International Six Day Trials races during the Sixties and winning four gold medals and one silver in just seven events. With the encouragement of good friend of Steve McQueen, Bud, along with his brother and McQueen, formed the first U.S. team to participate in an ISDT race in 1964. He did some behind-the-scenes work with McQueen in movies over the years, including being the stunt rider who jumped the fence on a motorcycle in the movie The Great Escape; he was also the stunt driver for McQueen during the filming of the Mustang chase sequence through San Francisco in Bullitt (He also did some stunt driving for the movies The Blues Brothers and Diamonds Are Forever). Ekins later sold Triumph motorcycles in the Los Angeles area, and one of his employees was the well-known automotive artist Von Dutch. Stick those three names together into one auction and you are sure to generate a lot of interest among the bidders.
Three brass era vehicles owned by Ekins will cross the podium during this auction; a 1905 REO Roadster, a 1908 REO Tourer and a 1908 Delaunay-Belleville H4 Double Phaeton. Each of these three vehicles includes custom Von Dutch pinstriping. Ekins liked collecting American-made motorcycles, too, and at one time owned 54 different American makes in his collection.
Bud Ekins-owned motorcycles up for auction at the Petersen Museum sale:
* 1915 Harley-Davidson 11F with Sidecar
* 1918 Cleveland Single
* 1925 Harley-Davidson JD
* 1936 Harley-Davidson VL Police
* 1937 Harley-Davidson UL
The auction will include additional Von Dutch-related items:
* a band saw and tabletop lathe that he decorated with original pinstriping
* a Dutch-decorated motorcycle sidecar “Mona”
* a 1970 Triumph Bonneville T140 with custom Von Dutch tank pinstriping
* a piece of original Dutch artwork that advertised Ekins studio and rental business in North Hollywood while Von was under his employ.
Steve McQueen-related items include his personal fully-stocked dirt bike tool box, some original movie posters, letters and photos.
This auction isn’t just about Ekins, Dutch and McQueen, though. Several excellent classic cars and motorcycles will be crossing the podium as well, including a 1954 Eldorado, 1949 Hudson Commodore, 1958 Bentley Flying Spur and a 1956 “Manx” Norton. A full list of the auction items is available at Bonhams.com.
