To be sold with NO RESERVE at Mecum Indianapolis on 5/10 as lot J15
Vintique Motors is thrilled to present this 1966 Triumph Bonneville TT Special 650!
Triumph made its first trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1956 and had success with a 649cc twin-powered streamliner that achieved 214mph! It was a few years later the Bonneville moniker would adorn a Triumph and go on to become a classic icon in motorcycling. In 1962, another 649cc twin-powered streamliner would officially log a run at just over 224mph. Just a few months after that the T120TT Special, powered 649cc twin-cylinder, would begin to appear in the U.S. on a 5-year production run from 1963 to 1967 as a factory offered race bike.
Triumph had two established distributors in the U.S: the Triumph Corporation (“TriCor”) on the East Coast and Johnson Motors (“JoMo”) on the West. These two distributorships understood the demand for TT steeplechase race bikes, which were races that took place all over the U.S. on an irregularly shaped dirt track with at least one right hand turn and a jump. The West Coast scene also had a large appetite for desert racing motorcycles. Enter the T120TT Bonneville TT Special in 1963 to meet the demand.
This 1966 T120TT Bonneville TT Special is finished in Alaskan White with Grenadier Red and Gold stripes on the tank and aluminum fenders. This TT Special was purportedly formerly owned by actor Daniel Dae Kim, best known for his roles in Lost and Hawaii 5-0, in which he used this bike in several episodes of Hawaii 5-0 in 2011 and 2012 portraying his character Chin Ho Kelly.
It is powered by a number’s matching 649cc twin-cylinder with a single Amal carburetor mated to a 4-speed manual transmission. Per Triumph production records, it is commonly accepted that Triumph built 3,920 Bonneville TT Specials from 1963 to 1967 which 1,310 are 1966 models.
Do not miss this opportunity to acquire one of the rarest and most iconic Triumph factory race bikes ever produced with celebrity ownership and several Hollywood credits to its resume!