A chopper said to have featured in the movie Easy Rider has been auctioned off for $1.35m (more than €1 million) – but doubts have now emerged over its authenticity.
The "Captain America" motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson ridden by Peter Fonda in the 1969 film, attracted fierce bidding in California after being restored.
According to an auction brochure, more than one bike was built in the run-up to the movie but this was the only model still in existence.
However, a fan in Texas, Gordon Granger, said he owns the chopper actually used in the cult film – and claims he also has a certificate of authenticity from restorer Dan Haggerty.
Mr Haggerty - who had a bit part in the movie - admitted he had authenticated both bikes, but then assured reporters the only legitimate chopper was the one sold on Saturday night.
Fonda, who co-wrote and starred in Easy Rider, had called for the auction's cancellation.
"There's a big rat stinking someplace in this," he warned.
Profiles In History, the auction house behind the latest sale, has refused to reveal who bought the bike.
Easy Rider, which also starred Dennis Hopper (who also co-wrote and directed the film) and Jack Nicholson, is considered a major catalyst in the creation of the New Hollywood movement of the late 1960s and 1970s.
