‘007’ Triumph Scrambler auctioned in UK

A Triumph was one of the stars at a special, two-part auction conducted by Christie’s in the UK this past September to mark six decades of the James Bond film franchise.

The ‘Sixty Years of James Bond’ auction combined an online sale, that featured props, costumes, posters and memorabilia from the 007 films, with a live auction on 28 September, where the Triumph was one of several vehicles on offer from No Time To Die, the latest film in the franchise.

Supplied for the film by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd, the Scrambler was a late-model (presumably 2019) Scrambler 1200 XE, initially seen with the assassin character ‘Primo’ and commandeered by Bond during the pre-title chase scene in Matera that included a spectacular jump into the Italian town’s piazza.

According to No Time To Die’s stunt co-ordinator, Lee Morrison, the Scrambler 1200 XE performed brilliantly in all the work they needed it to do for the film, so modifications to the factory specification were minimal and mostly aesthetic.

The 1200cc parallel twin engine and six-speed transmission were unchanged, but the mufflers were replaced with straight-cut pipes, while the mirrors, indicators, tail light, handguards, instrument pod and a handful of other parts were removed.

The other obvious change was the swapping of the factory tyres for Pirelli Scorpion Rally off-road rubber.

Although the front suspension was painted black, it appears to be the same Showa fork fitted at the factory, with the Öhlins rear suspension also evident. Both may have been modified for the film’s stunt work, but this is unclear.

In this spec, the Scrambler 1200 XE was used and abused during filming of the 25th film in the James Bond franchise. As such, no registration, warranty or any guarantees regarding its condition were provided by Triumph or Christie’s ahead of the auction, with the bike being offered more as a collector’s item than a motorcycle ready for road use.

A pre-auction high estimate of just £30,000 (AU$50,000 approx.) reflected this, but the mania for all things Bond saw the motorcycle ultimately sell for a remarkable £138,600 (AU$231,400 approx.), with many other items also selling for well above their estimates. All proceeds were donated to the Severn Hospice in the UK.

For more details from this auction, go to: christies.com

Photos: Christie’s