1956 Triumph Thunderbird 6T
VIN: 79702
In 1938 Triumph Stole Away Edward C. Turner, the mastermind who created the iconic “Square Four” produced by Ariel, and commissioned him to create a lightweight motorcycle for the more economically minded enthusiast. Turner answered the call by simply lopping off the rear cylinders of his Square Four design, and voila! – the 500cc Speed Twin was created. Introduced in 1939, the lightweight and economical Speed Twin took the motorcycling world by storm, and its parallel twin cylinder design was soon universally adopted by the rest of the British motorcycle industry.
In 1949 Triumph upped the ante with the introduction of a 650cc version, the Thunderbird. This was the bike (often mistaken by the misinformed as a Harley) that Marlon Brando rode in his 1953 breakthrough movie “The Wild One”. The Thunderbird continued to be Triumph's big gun until the introduction in 1959 of a twin carb version with alloy heads which Triumph dubbed the Bonneville.
Meanwhile, back in '53 after watching Brando in The Wild One, a 13 year old boy in Kansas began saving all the nickels and dimes from his newspaper route until three years later when he was able to buy his own Thunderbird.
The example seen here is the very same Thunderbird T6 that the Kansas teenager bought back in 1956. He took loving care of this bike for the next 59 years until 2013, when he sold the bike to the current owner with 41,579 miles on the odometer. It has been just as carefully maintained and sparingly ridden for a total of just under 400 miles since. A complete evaluation and tune-up was performed by Trophy Motorcycles in San Diego immediately after purchase, and no additional work was recommended other than replacement of clutch plates and control cables. (All work docs included with sale.)
This bike is an unmolested all original and still in good condition after 70 years. It runs well and without any major issues, and the chrome and blue and white paint do not have any dings or scratches or flaws beyond the normal patina of old age. No major issues have been experienced by the current owner during the 11 years that he has owned this reliable and all original example of the breed.
THIS MOTORCYCLE TO BE COLLECTED FROM BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA.
The Motorcycle has been consigned to the Classic Motorcycle Online Auction hosted by the Classic Car Auction Group. The auction is Saturday, May 9, 2026, with online bidding only. To consign your motorcycle and/or to register to bid on this and other bikes in the auction go to http://www.classiccarauction.us.
