Classic news, reviews, club news, auction action, gotaways. Fuel - get you fired up.
One of the most recognisable and legendary race cars of all time, originally owned and driven by Steve McQueen in the 1971 movie Le Mans, is the star attraction of Mecum’s World’s Largest Collector Car Auction at Kissimmee in Florida from January 7 to 19, 2025.
An icon among Porsche’s famed sports cars, this Gulf oil-liveried 917K with chassis number 917-022 was the hero car in the epic 106-minute motor-sport movie, made with an estimated budget of A$11.2 million. McQueen played the lead role of driver Micheal Delaney.
The movie was a departure from the norm with no audible dialog until the 36th minute and McQueen having just 12 lines in the entire film. But everyone remembers his most famous one: “Racing is life. Anything before or after, is just waiting.”
The Porsche 917-022 was purchased new by McQueen and used in the movie he starred in and produced. He also raced it in many other events after the movie as well.
Celebrated movie cars usually owe their fame more to the silver screen than to their mechanical pedigree or striking design. But the McQueen Porsche 917K is an exception, with the hero car not only a cinematic icon, but also a successful, world-class racing car.
McQueen’s Porsche 917K transitioned seamlessly from the film set to the world of endurance sports-car racing. This illustrious 917K, with a complete and known ownership history, has been owned by several legendary Porsche racers in the time since it was originally purchased and possessed from new, by McQueen himself.
An accomplished racer in his own right, McQueen was not allowed to drive in the classic twice-around-the-clock race after breaking his ankle in a motorcycle mishap and nervous insurers vetoed him driving. So he had to entwine his own driving footage into actual vision captured during the race, using both a camera car (a Porsche 908 owned by McQueen that competed) and cameras around the circuit.
The making of the movie had its own share of dramas with sports-car ace and film driver David Piper having a leg amputated in hospital, because of a deep cut caused during a crash scene. Brake fluid and other debris got into the cut, which caused an infection and the need to amputate the leg. He received a special thanks “for his sacrifice” in the movie credits.
While the movie itself cost A$11.2 million to produce, its box office takings in North America only reached A$8.08 million and it was initially panned by critics and seen as a flop. Today it is considered a cult classic and a must-watch for any racing fan.
The cast of then current F1 and sports-car drivers featuring in the movie included stars like Brian Redman, David Piper, Derek Bell, Gerard Larrousse, Jacky Ickx, Jean Pierre Jabouille, Jean Sage, Jo Siffert, John Miles, Jonathan Williams, Jürgen Barth, Masten Gregory, Michael Parkes, Paul Blancpain, Peter Huber, Pierre Greub, René Herzog, Richard Attwood, Rob Slotemaker, Rolf Stommelen, Silvio Moser, Teddy Pilette and Vic Elford.
The McQueen owned and raced Porsche 917K has just emerged from a meticulous and painstaking restoration and is presented in its 1970 specifications as seen in the movie.
No estimate has been provided, but given the Steve McQueen driven Bullitt Mustang sold for A$5.57 million, and in 2017 a Porsche 917K achieved A$21.8 million, expectations are the McQueen car will reward the vendor far more than the movie did its backers.