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Steve McQueen-Starrer “Le Mans” Porsche 917 Heading To Auction

By Neeraj Padmakumar

American film actor Steve McQueen (1930 - 1980) on the set of his motor-racing film 'Le Mans' at the Sarthe race track, France, October 1970. (Photo by Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
American film actor Steve McQueen (1930 - 1980) on the set of his motor-racing film 'Le Mans' at the Sarthe race track, France, October 1970. (Photo by Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) /
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The 1970 Porsche 917 from “Le Mans” is up for auction. All those affluent fans of Steve McQueen have started checking their Swiss bank accounts.

Lee H. Katzin’s Steve McQueen-starrer “Le Mans” may not have been a box office blockbuster, but it definitely stands close to the hearts of car movie enthusiasts around the globe for it had one of the most iconic movie cars in Hollywood history – the 1970 Porsche 917.

Now, Gooding & Company is auctioning off that car in mid-August and it is expected to fetch anything between $13 million and $16 million. Expectations in such a massive final bid can be set for a handful of reasons and one of them is of course, the association with the Steve McQueen cult classic from 1971.

The car was borrowed from Porsche factory driver Jo Stiffert for filming and was piloted by McQueen’s character in the movie. The same hero car was also released on to the track to film the intense race sequences which still stand out as perhaps the best racing scenes ever in a major motion picture. The 1970 Porsche 917 bearing the chassis 917-024 rolled into the pages of movie car history with that stint.

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Starring alongside Steve McQueen in “Le Mans” will be the major selling point of this 1970 Porsche 917.

The particular piece was also used as a test vehicle for the 1970 edition of the 24 hours of Le Mans. Jo Stiffert bought the car post its testing duties and that’s when Hollywood came calling. So basically, it soaked in both motor sports and cinema history.

Stiffert kept it close to him until his last days. After his death, the car vanished and was never heard of until 2001. 25 years later, it surfaced in a warehouse in Paris. Its Gulf livery was intact and the car was in a surprisingly good shape for a machine that was missing for such a long period of time.

Next: Showtime Presents, Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (2015)

As mentioned before, the she is going to be expensive to own and take care of. But if you still believe you can take home this majestic lady in her forties and has a tons of money, mark your calendar. Head to 2017 Monterey Car Week, in mid-August and do be ready to part with a fortune.

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