In 1970, steve mcqueen set out to make the ultimate racing movie. The chestnut brown 1963 ferrari 250 gt lusso wasnt the only barelydisguised race car mcqueen drove on public roads. Portrait of an american rebel, marshall terrill quotes steve s comments to a reporter at the time. Steve mcqueen is a name synonymous with cars thanks to the classic chase in bullit and his passion for racing leading to sultry endurance racing flick le mans, and his love of bikes was there for all to see in the great escape. Starting with the movie itself, do yourself a favour and buy a copy. Steve mcqueen s masterpiece about the famed 24 hours of le mans sports car race. Later, the car was used as a camera car to capture the high pace of action in le mans, a film in which mcqueen had plans to race a porsche 917 during the actual 24 hours of le mans race in the same year. Perhaps the most interesting car in his collection is 917 chassis 022one of the cars steve mcqueen used in his movie le mans. The racecar was driven by jo siffert and brian redman. During monterey car week this august, perhaps the most famous porsche 917 in the world will cross the auction block. Replicas of steve mcqueens le mans porsche are for sale. Steve mcqueen et le mans reviennent en bd le mag sport auto steve mcqueen in le mans is a new graphic novel by swiss artist sandro garbo, he wanted to take one of the most famous mcqueen movies and. For mcqueen, a serious amateur racer who had finished second sharing a porsche 908 with peter revson in the 1970 sebring 12 hours, making le mans was a selfconfessed seminal moment in his life.
Le mans is a 1971 film depicting a fictional 24 hours of le mans auto race starring steve mcqueen and directed by lee h. The star of that film is not steve mcqueen, but rather the porsche. To a fair number of folks, the film le mans remains one of the greatest pieces of cinema focusing on the world of motorsport. The steelyeyed mcqueens costar for the films memorable opening scenes is a slate gray 1970 porsche 911s. A man with such pedigree had to back that up with good cars in his own garage, and. Icon 917k is a stunning replica of porsche racer from le. July 18th, 1970 steve mcqueen at le mans in a brabham f2, at le mans, listens to british formula 1 race car driver derek bell. With very little dialog, the cars and the racing are the story. The turbulent production of the steve mcqueen carracing classic le mans serves as the subject of this documentary from filmmakers gabriel clarke and jon mckenna. The track announcer updates you on the actual race situations. The explosive crashes of auracs ferrari and delaneys porsche are spread vividly across seven pages in a cliffhanger ending to the first volume. Jan 16, 2017 a tribute to steve mcqueen and his passion for motorsport, through two movies. How jerry seinfeld came to own steve mcqueens porsche 917.
Aug 21, 2017 this 1970 gulfliveried 917k was used as a test car for le mans before becoming the star car in steve mcqueen s legendary racing movie legendary racing movie le mans film. A tribute to steve mcqueen and his passion for motorsport, through two movies. One of the drivers lost a leg in an accident on set. Powered by a 3liter, aircooled, flateight engine, the 908 brought porsches commitment to lightweight, small cars to the track with great. You can now buy a replica of steve mcqueenss car from le mans. Mustang made famous in steve mcqueen movie bullitt. Feb 12, 2020 perhaps the most interesting car in his collection is 917 chassis 022one of the cars steve mcqueen used in his movie le mans.
Created by sandro garbo over a threeyear period, steve mcqueen in le mans revisits the story of the fictional 1970 race between the gulf porsche team of michael delaney played by mcqueen and scuderia ferrari. The 1970 24 hours of le mans was the 38th grand prix of endurance and took place on and 14 june 1970. You can now buy a replica of steve mcqueenss car from le. Jun 17, 2017 for mcqueen, a serious amateur racer who had finished second sharing a porsche 908 with peter revson in the 1970 sebring 12 hours, making le mans was a selfconfessed seminal moment in his life. Almost at the verge of documentary, film depicts a single auto race from the ground up. His star status meant he could lend his credence to the le mans film, despite the major production issues and hiccups. Several years ago, sandro garbo claims, steve mcqueen visited him in a dream and urged him to create a graphic novel adaptation of mcqueens movie le mans the result is steve mcqueen in le mans, an ambitious retelling of the film in comics form.
Mar 18, 2020 in 1970, steve mcqueen set out to make the ultimate racing movie. In general, le mans depicts a 24 hours of le mans race involving michael delaney steve mcqueen as he participates while faced with the presence of the widow of a driver who died the previous. The film focuses on film star steve mcqueen s efforts to take control of his career. Top five cars owned by hollywood legends including steve. Katzin and starring steve mcqueen, siegfried rauch, elga andersen, ronald leighhunt and fred haltiner. Oct 16, 2017 the film was a passion project for mcqueen, and it includes real racing footage from the 1970 le mans. Le mans was filmed on location on the le mans circuit between june and november 1970, including during that seasons actual 24 hours of le mans race in midjune. Jun, 2017 steve mcqueen in le mans is only the first volume of the overall story, taking the reader up to the defining point of the race. Interestingly, steve mcqueens company solar productions actually entered a car into the 1970 race, a porsche 9082 which steve mcqueen had codriven to a 2nd place in the 12 hours of sebring earlier in 1970 with his leg in a cast.
The man and le mans is the story of obsession, betrayal and ultimate vindication. He would lose his marriage, close friendships and control of. Photo credit staffafpgetty images steve mcqueen, le mans steve mcqueen with wife neile. He would lose his marriage, close friendships and control of his film, and risk lives in the. Jul 30, 2010 steve mcqueen and the iconic gulf porsche 917k that was entered by mcqeens solar productions at the actual 1970 24 hours of le mans for the filming of 1971s epic racing movie, le mans. A 1968 ford gt40 gulfmirage that was used as a camera car during filming of le mans will be the read more extreme cost aside, this 1968 ford gt40 gulfmirage has a more unique history than most. Momentarily distracted by the flames of auracs car, delaney reacts too late to safely avoid a slower car. It is the story of how one of the most volatile, charismatic stars of his generation, who seemingly lost so much he held dear in the pursuit of. Katzin and starring steve mcqueen, siegfried rauch, elga andersen. Nov 24, 2017 in 1971, steve mcqueen starred in a movie called le mans. When the actors arent driving, they turn in some good performances as men and women committed to winning the race. So high indeed that at the sebring 12 hours in 1970 with le mans and the daytona 24 hours, one of the holy trinity of sports car racing, he failed to win only because ferrari put future formula. In 1971, steve mcqueen starred in a movie called le mans. Only 60 examples of the racecar, which featured prominently in the 1970 steve mcqueen movie le mans, were ever built, so.
Chassis 917024 was part of this group and it still wears its iconic. The car movie that made steve mcqueen lose his cool for steve mcqueen, filming his race car movie le mans was the culmination of a dream and yet it wrecked his life. At the time le mans went into production mcqueen was one of cinemas biggest stars. Graham turner advertised sale of a 917k body that had been copied directly from dave pipers 1969 porsche. Steve mcqueen stickers featuring millions of original designs created by independent artists. The race sequences, shot with carmounted cameras, are dazzling, but otherwise its a bore. It premiered at the 68th cannes film festival and was one of two british films to be an official selection for the cannes film festival in 2015. The 24 hours of le mans is a legendary race, but le mans the film is a legend in its own right when it comes to cinematic portrayals of motorsport.
With it being about sports car racing le mans the film is not dated, the cars have not dated to much. They even improved the body, which had an imperfection at the base of the rightside headlight pod that hartland said was due to the original body getting dinged during le mans filming. The steelyeyed mcqueen s costar for the films memorable opening scenes is a slate gray 1970 porsche 911s. Decorate your laptops, water bottles, notebooks and windows. Racing and film icon steve mcqueen set out to document the sport he loved, endurance sports car racing, with the car bufffavorite film le mans. The man and le mans is a genuinely fascinating look at how the original movie was made, and how the personal life of its star was unraveling at the. The car gained the nickname of the hippie car or the psychedelic porsche from the team and the media and started the le mans tradition of the artcar special. The nineyear odyssey to create the icon engineering 917k replica began with an ebay ad. My father in law derek bell and steve mcqueen le mans 1970 by nigel smuckatelli, via flickr. Jun 10, 2018 the original trailer in high definition of le mans directed by lee h.
This 1970 gulfliveried 917k was used as a test car for le mans before becoming the star car in steve mcqueen s legendary racing movie legendary racing movie le mans film. The description doesnt make it very clear, but this is actually the first volume. It features actual footage captured during the 1970 race held the previous june. Le mans did make money 19 million at the box office, but steve never saw a cent of it. For the first three minutes and 40 seconds, steve mcqueen isnt the only star of the 1971 film le mans. What watch is steve mcqueen wearing in the 1971 film le mans. Apr 06, 2017 in general, le mans depicts a 24 hours of le mans race involving michael delaney steve mcqueen as he participates while faced with the presence of the widow of a driver who died the previous. The turbulent production of the steve mcqueen car racing classic le mans serves as the subject of this documentary from filmmakers gabriel clarke and jon mckenna. Mar 20, 2020 only 60 examples of the racecar, which featured prominently in the 1970 steve mcqueen movie le mans, were ever built, so finding one 50 years later, let alone one in working order, is next to. With steve mcqueen, siegfried rauch, elga andersen, ronald leighhunt. Gulf porsche 917 kit cars, le mans, sick, rader, rennsport. The 1971 le mans film follows one of the drivers in the race, michael delaney played by steve mcqueen, the man in charge of the steering wheels of the porsche and who is affected by the memory of fatal accident at the previous years race. The car movie that made steve mcqueen lose his cool for steve mcqueen, filming his race car movie le mans was the culmination of. Its a fascinating decadeson perspective on mcqueens vision for the ultimate carracing movie and its troubled production.
If, back in the day, you watched steve mcqueens movie le mans and wondered what it was actually all about, the answer or answers, because there are several, as you might expect from this. What watch was steve mcqueen wearing in the film le mans. Steve mcqueens masterpiece about the famed 24 hours of le mans sports car race. The film was a passion project for mcqueen, and it includes real racing footage from the 1970 le mans. The graphic novel explores the back story to the start of the movie and develops the main characters more fully. It belonged to hollywoods king of speed, steve mcqueen. Mustang made famous in steve mcqueen movie bullitt expected to fetch millions at auction the iconic movie car has been owned by the kiernan family since 1974. How jerry seinfeld found steve mcqueens porsche 917 on a. The story of an accident, a porsche 917 and steve mcqueen. With steve mcqueen, sharon tate, roman polanski, chad mcqueen.