The 70s were the years of “Happy Days”, when the Fonz was the personification of “cool”. His 1949 Triumph motorbike was equally popular and it was recently sold in an auction to Richard Rawlings.
8 photosThe star of the “Fast N’ Loud” reality TV show and Gas Monkey Garage owner won the bid for the 1949 Triumph Trophy 500 Custom, in a Henry Winkler-themed auction. While the Bonhams auction house expected to sell the bike for $80,000 to $120,000, Rawlings ended up paying over $231,000 for Fonzie’s two-wheeler, as this proved to be one of the most prized items in the collection. But it was a happy purchase nevertheless for the “Fast N’ Loud” celeb, who didn’t mind paying double the price for the bike. His dad is the reason why he wanted the custom Triumph motorcycle so badly, as reported by TMZ. Although his father has Alzheimer's now, back in the day, he was a true Fonzie fan and used to love riding motorcycles, looking quite similar to the “Happy Days” character. Rawlings and his dad also made it a habit to watch the sitcom together. While Rawlings won’t be able to resist riding the legendary Triumph at least a few times, he plans to eventually add the bike to his vast collection of cars and memorabilia. Bonhams describes the two-wheeler as one of the television’s coolest motorbikes and Fonz’s pride and joy, being used throughout the ABC television series between 1974 and 1984. The bike was showcased at the San Diego Automotive Museum from 2017 and until this year. It was customized for the TV show by Hollywood stuntman Bud Ekins and was untouched since filming wrapped.
Aired for an entire decade, the “Happy Days” series spanned 11 seasons and was among the most successful shows of the 70s. Henry Winkler played the role of Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, a.k.a. “The Fonz”. His complete outfit from the show also sold in the auction for over $75,000.
Keyword: "Fast N' Loud" TV Star Gets His Hands on One of the Coolest Motorbikes of the 70s