Steve McQueen would enjoy a long and lasting friendship with the professional stuntman, and accomplished motorcycle racer James Sherwin “Bud” Ekins. Working as a Triumph dealer when he first met McQueen in 1959, Ekins would go on to work closely with the actor, most notably taking on the famous jump in the 1963 film The Great Escape—coincidentally, using a Triumph for the stunt.

The original California ownership transfer document on file—dated 9 June 1970 and listing McQueen’s Solar Productions as the buyer—indicates, Ekins sold this Bonneville TR120 to Solar Productions.

Powered by a 649-cubic-centimenter parallel-twin engine, this TR120 moves away from the standard Bonneville specification with its high-level, scrambler-style exhaust pipes routed along the left side of the frame. It has reportedly never been ridden since its full restoration by Nelson Bros. Motors in Oakland, California, in 2016, making it an ideal showpiece for a dedicated collector.