1970s

Steve McQueen's Husqvarna Motorcycle Up for Auction

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, The Classicist

The Husqvarna 400CR motorcycle pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in August 1971 ridden by Steve McQueen, aka The King of Cool, will be auctioned off on May 14 at Quail Lodge in Carmel, California during Bonhams' sale of Exceptional Motorcycles & Related Memorabilia. McQueen's favorite motorcycle for a number of years, which he rode at the Elsinore Grand Prix among other events, it's sure to fetch a significant amount. The bike is featured prominently in the cool new edition of McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon from Motorbooks.

The Husqvarna was originally purchased from the Steve McQueen Estate Sale in 1984 at Harrah's Auto Collection in Las Vegas. In addition to being impeccably restored and fully documented it comes with a wooden trunk marked "Husky" full of accessories. More McQueen ephemera will be offered at the sale including numerous racing trophies won by the legend of the silver screen and die-hard motorbike enthusiast. As we reported on March 10, McQueen's 1970 Porsche 911 is also headed for auction this summer.

Gallery: Steve McQueen's Husqvarna Motorbike

Tags: 1970s, actor, Bonhams, California, celebrity cars, Hollywood, Husqvarna, motorbike, motorcycle, Porsche, Steve McQueen

Glashutte Original Seventies Panorama Date Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Glashutte Original Seventies Panorama Date Watch

The last few years it was "Senator Sixties" for Glashutte Original's retro collection. Some people loved those, and some hated them. One thing that amused me was that I recently saw a vintage Timex that was the precise look the Senator Sixties was going for. I wonder how many Glashutte Original owners got mistaken for Timex owners?

This year GO looks to the 1970s with the TV screen styled Seveneties Panorama date watch. It actually uses the same in-house made GO automatic big date movement as one of the Senator Sixties watches. If you like the style, then the execution is lovely. The dial will come in at least three tones - here done in sunburst polished German silver. There is a neat integration between the case and the bracelet. That latter element appears to be one of the highlights of the piece, and will offer superior wearing comfort. Part of that is due to GO's use of their micro-adjust deployment clasp.

Overall, Glashutte Original used some of its better parts and a new case for this Seventies Panorama Date watch. I expect more models (such as a chronograph) to show up soon. Like I said, some people will love the design and others will be bored to tears with it. Nevertheless, it is very well executed and is overall a job well done from GO in Germany.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 1970s, glashutte, glashutte original, panorama date, seventies, watch

The Stunning Photographs of Stan Shaffer

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Books

If you've never heard of photographer Stan Shaffer, who captured the cream of cultural bohemia in the golden age of the '60s and '70s, now's the time to rectify that courtesy of über-luxe German publisher teNeues. You Should Have Been With Me is a massive scrapbook culled from Shaffer's stunning archive, with intimate portraits of celebs of the day including Gloria Vanderbilt, Angelica Huston, Andy Warhol, Halston, Calvin Klein, Peter Beard, Cheryl Tiegs, Grace Jones, Jerry Hall, Brooke Shields and Mariel Hemingway. These are interspersed with sexy fashion snaps and outtakes of sessions with supermodels on yachts and in Porsches once the "work" was done. In diary form Shaffer shares extracts from his extraordinary life at the nexus of New York's art, fashion and cinema worlds, at glitzy parties "where everyone is somebody and they're all dressed to kill!" Shaffer's journey was that of a "voyeur, participant, invited guest and documentarian" wrapped into one; sadly he died during the final stages of production on this book, which now serves as a fitting legacy for an artist who deserves more recognition.

Tags: 1960s, 1970s, Andy Warhol, art, books, Calvin Klein, celebrity, coffee table books, fashion, Jerry Hall, New York, Peter Beard, photographer, photography, Stan Shaffer, style, teNeues