Billy Joel puts 70 motorcycles up for auction at Retromobile New York
Gooding Christie's will sell the musician's personal collection without reserve in November, with proceeds benefiting The Joel Foundation.
Gooding Christie’s will hold its inaugural Retromobile New York Auctions on November 20 and 21 at the Javits Center, opening with a significant offering: more than 70 motorcycles drawn from Billy Joel’s personal collection, all presented without reserve.
The six-time Grammy winner and musician who has sold over 150 million records is known as an avid collector. His holdings span decades and brands such as Ducati, BMW, Moto Guzzi, Harley-Davidson, Yamaha, Triumph, Honda, and Kawasaki. According to the auction house announcement, Joel intends to direct proceeds from the sale to The Joel Foundation, his charitable organization.
Standout pieces
A 1978 Triumph T140 Bonneville carries special provenance: Madison Square Garden commissioned the custom paint scheme and presented the bike to Joel to mark his 150th sold-out performance at the venue. The motorcycle comes with a matching helmet engraved with dates and details of his entire residency there. Joel holds the record for sold-out shows at the New York arena, according to the press announcement. Gooding Christie’s values the Bonneville between $10,000 and $15,000.
Also heading to the block is a 1982 Ducati 900 finished as a tribute bike. Ducati created the model to commemorate the motorcycle that Mike Hailwood rode when he achieved a racing victory at the Isle of Man in 1978. The estimate ranges from $15,000 to $25,000. A restored 1975 Ducati 750 Sport, described in the sale materials as one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever conceived, carries an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000.
Viewing schedule
Select pieces will be displayed at Christie’s Rockefeller Center starting October 8 and running through October 12. The full collection enters public preview at the Javits Center from Thursday, November 19, continuing through the end of the sale on November 21.
David Gooding, president of Gooding Christie’s, said the firm was honored to host the sale in New York City given Joel’s deep ties to the region. Joel offered his own perspective on the sale: “I’ve always been drawn to bikes built by people who cared about getting every detail right. I’ve loved building this collection. Now it’s someone else’s turn to hit the road.”
The Joel Foundation, led by Billy and Alexis Joel, funds organizations focused on music education, health initiatives, humanitarian work, and environmental causes, according to the foundation’s stated mission.
This article was compiled by the CityLifeBytes editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.
