MOTOCYCLER's BBS

CREDIT: Still from The Great Escape Quite possibly the most famous motorcycle jump in history was performed in the movie, The Great Escape. Many think that Steve McQueen did the jump, but the man at the controls was Bud Ekins.

CREDIT: Bonhams via Bloomberg News A 1940 Indian Scout motorcycle once owned by Steve McQueen.

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - Steve McQueen's 1940 Indian Scout motorcycle comes up for auction in California on May 3 as demand rises for movies and merchandise associated with the late actor known as the "King of Cool."

The red motorcycle, which McQueen restored for competitions, may fetch $80,000 or more when it's sold during the show, Legend of the Motorcycle: International Concours d'Elegance, said auction house Bonhams. The seller is the motorcycle-seat maker Michael Corbin.

McQueen, who died in 1980, is known for films such as The Great Escape, Bullitt and Papillon. He made Forbes.com's list of top-grossing dead stars for the first time last year. With earnings of more than $6 million in the year through October, McQueen placed 10th on the list, which is headed by Elvis Presley. The list is based in part on fees from licensing agreements and royalties.

"He's one of the few celebrities who adds value to a motorcycle," said Andrew Reilly, a specialist in Bonhams' motoring department. "Normally the celebrity factor makes it more salable, but not necessarily at a higher price."

Bonhams estimated one of McQueen's Sport Scouts at the going market rate of $15,000 to $18,000 for a Los Angeles sale in 2006, Reilly said. It fetched $175,000. In August, McQueen's 1963 Ferrari Lusso took $2.3 million at a California auction by Christie's International, doubling its top estimate.

The actor owned about 200 motorcycles, Reilly said. McQueen's family auctioned 166 motorcycles in Las Vegas in 1984, he said, and a few of the remainder "trickle out" onto the market each year.

Bonhams will auction the Indian Scout -- which comes with a letter from McQueen's children certifying that it belonged to their father -- with other motorcycles belonging to Corbin at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Half Moon Bay, Calif.

The show judges as many as 200 pre-1978 motorcycles from around the world. McQueen's son, Chad, will hand out the Steve McQueen Award at the show for the bike that best represents the "King of Cool."