1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross

In 1971 there was no greater film-star than Steve McQueen. His choice of off-road motorcycle at the time was a Husqvarna 400 cross. The beautiful two-stroke Husky Cross, with its signature red and chrome petrol tank patch, alloy guards, Akront rims, mud flap and Magura cables, was catapulted to legendary status in August 1971 when Steve McQueen famously rode one shirtless on the cover of "Sports Illustrated." The image was captured on a whimsical beach scene outside of Camp Pendleton for the movie "On Any Sunday."

Under the influence of Bud Ekins, McQueen usually rode Triumphs in the 1960s, however, "Huskies" had built an early reputation for being powerful and nimble and in 1969, the company branched out with an open-class machine. The machine quickly earned prominence in the United States when it appeared on the silver screen in Bruce Brown's classic motorcycle documentary, "On Any Sunday" featuring McQueen, who also financed the movie. Interestingly, McQueen had originally purchased a 1971 Husky 360 Enduro from Husqvarna Med-International out of Le Mesa, California on Aug. 26, 1971, however, he disliked the model and arranged a swap in exchange for a '71 Husky 400 Cross, which he used in racing competitions and off-road riding.

The 400 Cross was not only very pretty, but it also had serious competition credentials. The lusty 395cc two-stroke single was matched to a lightweight chassis and excellent suspension and was ridden to victory in the 1971 Baja 1000 by Malcolm Smith and Gunnar Nilsson. Husqvarna garnered a number of motocross titles, including the 500cc World Championship in 1969 and 70 with the young Swede Bengt Aberg on board, before the Japanese entered the market and slowly knocked the various European manufacturers out.

This bike is a 1971 Husqvarna 400 'Cross' with frame number MI5159, making it a late 1971 bike. It is presented in stunning condition and underwent a painstaking restoration, which cost our enthusiast vendor many thousands of pounds. Every nut and bolt was finished to OE condition by Rod Spry, one of the UK's leading Motocross-only bike restorers. Rod returned this bike to Concours condition, using as much of the original bike (originally imported from the USA a couple of years ago) as possible. He did this by obtaining many extremely hard to find NOS parts from his worldwide connections in America and Europe.

There are not many of these bikes surviving in the world, as many were raced, thrashed and discarded in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They have recently become very collectable and this example is described by the vendor as in perfect running condition. It has been drained of fluids for internal display but the new owner has the option of either a static or running bike. Perfect for any serious garage collector, office dreamer, classic MX racer or pit-lane cruiser, this bike must be seen to be truly appreciated.