Perhaps you know Milo Ventimiglia as one of TV’s most beloved dads, Jack Pearson, in the Emmy Award-winning series This is Us, or as the brooding heartthrob Jess Mariano in Gilmore Girls.
You might also recognize him as hospice nurse Peter Petrelli in Heroes, the cunning con man Charlie Nicoletti in The Company You Keep, or Formula One driver Denny in the film The Art of Racing in the Rain.
Beyond his many acclaimed acting roles, Milo Ventimiglia is, at heart, a passionate gearhead. “I’ve always been interested in beautiful machines that move fast,” he reveals.
“When I was a kid, I’d always watch the Barrett-Jackson auction with my dad. It would be one of those things where, when it was on a Saturday, we would turn it on and just WATCH. My dad and I were always kind of gearheads and into that stuff.”
Ventimiglia purchased his first and only classic car at the age of 22—a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport in Tuxedo Black with a matching black interior—and had it fully frame-on restored. “I still have it,” he says. “Evelyn.
She’s in storage right now as I go through a home remodel, but she had been, for the longest time, my longest-lasting relationship!” Although Ventimiglia’s wife, model Jarah Mariano—whom he married in 2023—now holds the top spot in his heart, the Chevelle remains his “dream car.” It even made a cameo in the first season finale of This is Us.
Ventimiglia’s journey into the world of motorcycles came later in life. In his late 20s, while working on the TV series American Dreams, a scene required him to ride off with actress Brittany Snow on the back of a motorcycle.
Since he had never ridden before, the producers enrolled him in motorcycle training and certification. The experience left him hooked—despite the concerns of family and friends about his safety.
Ventimiglia recalls the steps he took to become a skilled rider. He hired a private instructor who trained California Highway Patrol officers and, after just six months of lessons, purchased his first bike: a Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight.
“I hid it from my family and friends for about two years,” he admits. Eventually, the secret came out. “Once it became family knowledge that I had a motorcycle, my garage grew,” he says. “I went from that first Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight to a Fat Bob to a Low Rider S to a Road Glide Special.”
His love for motorcycles even influenced his acting, inspiring him to seek roles that involved riding.
This brings us to two special motorcycles heading to the 2025 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, held January 18-26 at WestWorld. Both bikes will be sold with No Reserve.
The first is a right-side-shift 1967 Triumph Bonneville that Ventimiglia bought from its original owner. “For a project I had to shoot just ahead of the pandemic,” he explains, “I was going to be on bikes from the ’60s, and specifically the type of bike that motorcycle legend Evel Knievel was riding.”
To maintain authenticity for the planned Evel TV series—which was ultimately canceled due to the pandemic—all the bikes used were right-side shifters.
“Because I couldn’t practice on those picture bikes,” Ventimiglia says, “I bought this ’67 Bonneville. I not only had to learn how to right-side shift and be comfortable with it in an instinctual way, I had to learn how to do wheelies on it.”
The second bike Ventimiglia is auctioning is his 1170cc 2021 BMW R nineT, which he rode as con man Charlie Nicoletti in the ABC television series The Company You Keep.
“Being a Harley guy, the reason I went BMW was purely character,” Ventimiglia explains. “I get very into the work that I do on screen. I did not see Charlie on a Harley.”
Determining that the R nineT suited the character’s style, Ventimiglia purchased the bike himself and made modifications to it.
These included Oberon bar-end mirrors, a Daedalus fender eliminator, and Rizoma low-profile front signals and exhaust. He then brought the bike to the set and declared, “This is my motorcycle.”
Why BMW? “Very simply, it’s the ultimate driving machine,” Ventimiglia says. “BMW and the German tuning and the way that they approach building cars and motorbikes is just impeccable.
And they are precision machines that are dependable. It’s just a wonderful ride. Very powerful, very agile—and, for me, that kind of matched who Charlie Nicoletti was.”
For a chance to own one—or both—of Milo Ventimiglia’s motorcycles, each with its own interesting Hollywood backstory, register to bid today.