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By C. Gordon/
What’s most striking offhand about the world’s most expensive motorcycle — otherwise known as the Harley-Davidson Cosmic Starship — is that there are no significant modifications. It can’t fly or turn into a boat, and it doesn’t do that cool spinning thing that Batman’s motorcycle did in «The Dark Knight.» Nor is it any faster than your average Harley-Davidson V-Rod, not that there’s anything average about them to begin with. This «Million Dollar Harley» has that distinction simply because it looks cool — sometimes that’s all it takes.
Modern art tends to earn enormous bidding prices, and this sleek ride is no exception. According to Petersen’s Harley-Davidson, this Harley was customized by renowned artist Jack Armstrong (a nephew of the one that walked on the moon). Since his paintings sometimes sell for upwards of $100 million, the most recent price of $35 million for the Cosmic Starship seems a bit tame in comparison.
The paint job features 37 layers of acrylic paint on what appears to be a bright yellow on red leopard/Jackson Pollock pattern, an ethereal style Armstrong describes as «cosmic extensionalist.» It apparently involves binding himself and «the energy that coexists in inter planetary and multi-dimensional extensionalism» into the art, according to Auto Evolution.
Why the ‘cosmic extensionalist’ Harley costs so much
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An expensive painting you can drive is not the only reason for the elevated cost, as exclusivity plays a role as well. The custom Harley-Davidson is a one-off creation, and Armstrong has reportedly vowed to never make more than 100 pieces, and never use an art dealer. Andy Warhol unsurprisingly was a fan, dubbing him «The Last Wizard.» While this all sounds like material for a future documentary like «Exit Through the Gift Shop,» the artsy Harley has nonetheless received plenty of fanfare.
The motorcycle was unveiled in a 2010 ceremony in which it seemingly dropped from the sky with $100,000 worth of lights beckoning its landing. Two years later, it sold for $3 million, and the current asking price ranges between $15 and $30 million, with expectations to go even higher. There’s no word on whether anyone’s actually driven the bike, which is understandable, and for the moment it appears to be sitting in a climate-controlled vault, with all 37 layers of paint intact.