Tron Light Cycle fetches almost $100K

The futuristic Light Cycle that starred in the 1980s sci-fi movie, Tron, has been sold at auction for a cool $US77,000 ($A96,000).

The winning, anonymous bidder rode off – at least figuratively – with one of the coolest pieces of Hollywood automotive memorabilia after it was sold by RM Sotheby’s last week as part of a broader no-reserve auction of The Andrews Collection.  

In much the same way The Matrix did many years later, Tron took our imagination and transported it to a virtual world that was fantastic on screen, yet located in a mundane real-world device, a computer.

When security program Tron is forced to compete on the Gaming Grid by the MCP (Master Control Program) and subsequently released by the digitised Flynn, we all wanted to experience the thrill of being in the game.

Hurling deadly Frisbee discs at each other was one thing and driving computerised tanks around the Grid was even cooler, but the pinnacle of the 1982 video game fantasy was riding the deadly Tron Light Cycle.

Zipping around the Grid in a deadly duel while avoiding the colour wall laid down by the competing cycles was a white-knuckle cinematic experience.

Understandably, when the reboot of the Tron franchise arrived with 2010’s Tron Legacy, the Light Cycle needed to be part of the action.

Those scenes were inspiration enough for a full-size working replica of the Tron Legacy Light Cycle to be built for The Andrews Collection, one of North America's most prestigious and expensive assemblages of rare vehicles.

The Light Cycle sold last week is described as fully functional and runs on a 96-volt direct-drive electric motor. After its rider straddles the machine – awkwardly — the bike's neon blue lights illuminate in a very cinematic way when it's started.

Unfortunately, it seems “fully-functional” does not include the ability to lay down a light wall or transform into a metal storage rod at the end of a ride.