When Terminator 2 was released in 1991, it ushered in a new generation of computer-generated imagery, blending live action with virtual graphics. The terrifying liquid-metal T-1000’s (Robert Patrick) depiction is still impressive by today’s standards. One of the most memorable scenes in T2, however, involved a freshly-arrived nude T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) beating down bar patrons on its way to secure a motorcycle. And that very bike — a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy — went up for auction earlier this month.
The screen-used Harley’s sale was handled by Profiles In History as part of its “Icons & Legends of Hollywood” auction, which ran June 5-8. An email from Profiles in History showed that the bike sold for $480,000, beating the estimated sale price of $200,000-$300,000.
Schwarzenegger, a motorcycle enthusiast in his own right, rode this actual bike in the film, giving it legendary provenance. The odometer reads just 392 miles, though the bike may need some work to get it running. The side mirrors are missing, so the buyer would have to add those in to legally run this piece of cinematic history and live out his or her T2 fantasy.
In the film, the T-800 had its pick of rides outside the bar, scanning various Harleys, a Yamaha, and even a Plymouth sedan. Its eyes settled on a 1991 Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy — a model that had just been introduced the prior year. After strongly convincing the owner to hand over his keys (in addition to his riding gear), the T-800 set off, but that’s not the last we saw of the bike.
The Fat Boy went on to take part in one of the greatest chase scenes in film history, when the T-800 used it to rescue John Connor (played by Edward Furlong astride a Honda XR dirtbike) from the relentless T-1000. The chase through the L.A. River reached iconic status, and numerous films and television shows have paid tribute to the scene, while others have made parodies of it.
Terminator 2 grossed over half a billion dollars at the box office and gave the franchise a huge boost, spawning numerous sequels and spin-offs.
There were listings for other Terminator and Arnold-related memorabilia, including the “punk” jacket from Terminator, which Schwarzenegger wore while riding a motorcycle in that film as well. This one sold for $24,000 including bloody bullet holes!
Updated on June 15: Added final sale price of the Terminator 2 motorcycle.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.