Remember the 1963 Ferrari Lusso that was sold for $2.31 million last year? Well, everything that McQueen ever rode ha truly commanded premium prices. Now, McQueen’s Porsche will be placed by Bonhams & Butterfields in an auction during Monterey auto week where biddings can possibly hit $2 million. Considering that Porsche is a pop cultural and a motorsports hallmark, $2 million is quite cheap.
Anyway, do you know who Steve McQueen is? Well, in Bullit, The Great Escape and The Thomas Crowne Affair are the films where McQueen starred. In 1970, Porsche was raced in a 12 Hours of Sebring where McQueen finished second following Mario Andretti. The said race is considered by many as one of the best endurance races ever.
The Porsche was specifically bought by McQueen for the race and then hired Formula 1 driver Peter Revson to be his co-driver. At first, they never thought they have the chance to be at the lead but with the end of the race, they were at the lead. The Ferrari guys, who were experts, were not delighted and so became determined to win at all costs. Andretti whipped his more powerful cavallino rampante. However, he didn’t manage to get around McQueen until the second to the last lap.
It was truly a remarkable finish considering the competitors of McQueen like Dan Gurney and Jacky “Mr. Le Mans” Ickx. Later that year, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, McQueen raced Porsche with two cameras placed on it. The video showed in the documentary style movie, Le Mans. A 3.0-liter eight-cylinder boxer motor that creates about 350 horsepower composes Porsche. The car weights 1,400 pounds and has top speed of about 200 mph.
Now, if you have an extra $2 million, Steve McQueen’s Porsche might be in your garage. However, if you do not have such amount of money, better be contented with McQueen’s watch at the moment.
