Two Bruce Brown Motorcycles To Be Auctioned: Triumph and Husqvarna

1970 Husqvarna 250 Cross to auction

Bruce Brown 1967 Triumph and 1970 Husqvarna On Auction at Barber by Bonhams

Two motorcycles owned by On Any Sunday director Bruce Brown will be sold at a Bonhams auction on October 5. The Collectors’ Motorcycles at the Barber Museum auction is being held as part of the Barber Vintage Festival in Birmingham, Ala.

The 1967 Triumph T20 Mountain Cub is an unexpectedly important historical piece. Brown traded in his ubiquitous street-going Honda Cub for the serious Triumph T20 Mountain Cub dual-sport motorcycle.

1967 Triumph T20 Mountain Cub Bruce Brown

Eventually, the T20 Mountain Cub helped ignite the friendship of Brown and Steve McQueen. That friendship eventually blossomed into the making the iconic 1971 On Any Sunday documentary on motorcycles. The T20 Mountain Cub is in original, unrestored condition with low mileage.

The Triumph is powered by a 14-horsepower 199cc four-stroke pushrod-actuated overhead valve single. It has a four-speed transmission, 17-inch wheels, an Amal carb, a curb weight of 250 pounds, and a top speed of 60 mph.

1970 Husqvarna 250 Cross to auction

Husqvarna importer and motocross promoter Edison Dye gave Brown the 1970 Husqvarna 250 Cross that is being auctioned. The motorcycle appeared in On Any Sunday in the sequences involving McQueen, Malcolm Smith, and Mert Lawwill. The Husqvarna 250 Cross has an air-cooled two-stroke powerplant and was an out-of-the-box motocross racing motorcycled.

An April 21, 1970 letter from Dye to Brown says the 250 Cross is “for your use of your filming of your new motorcycle movie.” That movie turned out to be On Any Sunday. McQueen’s On Any Sunday 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross sold for $230,500 at the 2018 edition of the Collectors’ Motorcycles at the Barber Museum sale.

Now, Brown’s 1967 Triumph T20 Mountain Cub and 1970 Husqvarna 250 Cross are part of the auction. If you are unable to attend the auction, Bonhams allows you to register and bid online for the two motorcycles, along with other vintage motorcycles that will be up for auction.

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