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Paul Hollywood puts his treasured chopper up for auction after riding it on 3,000 mile journey from New York to Los Angeles – and experts have given it an eyewatering valuation

BBG News

As an ardent fan of Paul Hollywood and all things biking, this news about his Big Dog Ridgeback chopper going under the hammer at auction is simply exhilarating! I can almost feel the raw power and freedom that bike must have given him during his epic road trip across America. The sight of that sleek, steel beast thundering down the open highway, with Paul at the helm, must have been a spectacle to behold.

Star of The Great British Bake Off, Paul Hollywood, is putting up his impressive Chopper for sale to the person with the highest bid.

The celebrity baker has listed the motorcycle – a Big Dog Ridgeback – for auction.

In 2019, Hollywood – a renowned motorcycle aficionado at the age of 58 – took his powerful bike for a spin in his mini-series, “Paul’s Adventure Through Tinseltown.

It was built by Big Dog Motorcycles in Kansas in an “old school” hard tail chopper style.

Equipped with a 1750cc V-twin motor, Hollywood traversed approximately 3,000 miles (or 4,830 kilometers) from New York to Los Angeles using this engine.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but be thrilled by Mark Bryan’s words from Iconic Auctioneers: ‘When celebrity ownership meets automobile enthusiast Paul Hollywood, a cross-country television journey, and a sleek motorcycle, it creates an irresistible blend!’

The bike is estimated to fetch £12,000 – £14,000 at the MCN London Motorcycle Show on 16 February.

Residents near Hollywood used to assert that the Bake Off celebrity was flying a unique type of helicopter, causing loud noises above their houses.

Last August, TopMob documented the instance where a man skillfully touched down his Robinson Raven helicopter on a small piece of ground situated midway between his countryside home and the peaceful village tavern in Smarden, Kent.

seventy-two-year-old resident, Sue Keys from the area, commented: “He’s quite audible when flying above, considering we live quite near Headcorn airfield, there’s usually a fair bit of aircraft noise.

He’s been operating the helicopter for approximately the past three months, and initially, when he began, my thoughts were along the lines of ‘what on earth is that? he seems a little off’. At first, it startled me, but I’ve grown accustomed to it by now.

A neighbor, introducing himself simply as John, aged 62, shared: “Since we own horses, their reactions can be a bit startled when a helicopter approaches on specific days. They tend to dislike it.

‘But having said that, we live in a noisy spot. There’s an airfield around the back of us from which Spitfires fly out from, other helicopters and aircraft come flying across over the fields.

‘The road is busy during rush-hour and there’s a busy pub opposite.’ 

A woman who lived a few doors down from Hollywood, however, said she liked him buzzing around, adding: ‘I actually like seeing him flying over, it’s quite exciting. It makes a change from all the old spitfires that roar over the house.’

It’s reported that Hollywood prefers to store his Robinson Raven helicopter at Manston Airport, instead of the nearby Headcorn Airfield, while he carries on with his pursuit of a private pilot’s license.

Obtaining a private pilot’s license requires completion of 45 hours of flying lessons, which includes 25 hours of flights with an instructor (dual flight instruction) and 10 hours of solo flights under supervision, with no less than five hours being cross-country solo flights.

Five hours may be completed in an approved flight simulator.

Paul, who spent £21,000 on lessons for a Second World War Spitfire, started his journey as a trainee pilot about two years ago, seeking to distance himself from the chaos of his renowned existence.

At that moment, he clarified: ‘You’re alone with the machine, detached from the chaos. Naturally, I’m feeling a bit anxious. However, in that space, you have complete liberty.’

 Hollywood has hosted The Great British Bake Off since 2010.

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2024-12-09 15:06

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