HisPony
Wondering where I am!?!?
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/201...years-gone-not-close-to-forgotten/#more-47963
Steve McQueen, the hard-driving, hard-living existentialist hero of a generation of action movies, would have been 80 years old today. McQueen, an avid and accomplished motor racer, died in 1980 of a heart attack after surgery to treat mesothelioma, a form of cancer associated with inhaling asbestos fibers. Early racing suits, his motorsports contemporaries have noted, were dipped in a chemical solution that contained asbestos to make them fire-retardant.
McQueen’s life seemed filled with ironies. He portrayed the ultimate outsider, yet everything he touched became “in.” His unconventional sense of fashion — remember the tweedy blazer and turtleneck sweater he wore in “Bullitt“? — still influences men’s apparel.
His blue-lens Persol sunglasses from “The Thomas Crown Affair” sold at auction four years ago for $70,200. Demand has been so enduring for Tag Heuer’s square Monaco watch, which McQueen wore throughout his “LeMans” movie, that it has been reissued twice; his actual Monaco sold for $87,600 last year. The Rolex Submariner that he preferred off-camera also was auctioned last year, for $234,000. Another model, the Rolex Explorer, is often referred to as the Rolex Steve McQueen.
The greatest piece of McQueen memorabilia, however, remains unsold — and largely unaccounted for, although it is still known to exist.
During his lifetime, McQueen accumulated a large and significant collection of racing vehicles and classic cars. In recent years, his heirs have been auctioning the remnants. But McQueen was never able to acquire the vehicle that he most wanted to have, said his son Chad in an interview with me several years ago; that was the only surviving Mustang used in the filming of “Bullitt.”
“That is owned by a private collector,” Chad McQueen said, “who refuses to display it, or part with it, for any price.”
For motorsports fans, Steve McQueen’s movies provided vicarious thrills that will live forever in reruns:
• The motorcycle pursuit scene in “The Great Escape,” in which through the magic of editing McQueen was able to ride both as the escaping P.O.W. and the German soldier pursuing him. (His stunt double, Bud Ekins, actually made the famed jump over the log-and-razor wire fence.)
• The ad-libbed dune buggy scene with Faye Dunaway in “The Thomas Crown Affair” introduced little-known manufacturer Meyers Manx. (McQueen had raced one in desert events.)
• The epic chase through the streets of San Francisco in “Bullitt” (shown in the above video) has been cited numerous times as moviedom’s most memorable car chase. The Ford Motor Company has reissued limited-edition versions of the Mustang used in the film — all of which sold out, the company said.
• The movie “Le Mans,” for which McQueen insisted on such authenticity that it consumed years of his career and bankrupted his production company, has transitioned in film annals from a milestone flop to a cult hit.
• His obsession with motorcycle racing helped popularize an obscure form of competition called trials riding, and helped make immortal “On Any Sunday.”
Steve McQueen, the hard-driving, hard-living existentialist hero of a generation of action movies, would have been 80 years old today. McQueen, an avid and accomplished motor racer, died in 1980 of a heart attack after surgery to treat mesothelioma, a form of cancer associated with inhaling asbestos fibers. Early racing suits, his motorsports contemporaries have noted, were dipped in a chemical solution that contained asbestos to make them fire-retardant.
McQueen’s life seemed filled with ironies. He portrayed the ultimate outsider, yet everything he touched became “in.” His unconventional sense of fashion — remember the tweedy blazer and turtleneck sweater he wore in “Bullitt“? — still influences men’s apparel.
His blue-lens Persol sunglasses from “The Thomas Crown Affair” sold at auction four years ago for $70,200. Demand has been so enduring for Tag Heuer’s square Monaco watch, which McQueen wore throughout his “LeMans” movie, that it has been reissued twice; his actual Monaco sold for $87,600 last year. The Rolex Submariner that he preferred off-camera also was auctioned last year, for $234,000. Another model, the Rolex Explorer, is often referred to as the Rolex Steve McQueen.
The greatest piece of McQueen memorabilia, however, remains unsold — and largely unaccounted for, although it is still known to exist.
During his lifetime, McQueen accumulated a large and significant collection of racing vehicles and classic cars. In recent years, his heirs have been auctioning the remnants. But McQueen was never able to acquire the vehicle that he most wanted to have, said his son Chad in an interview with me several years ago; that was the only surviving Mustang used in the filming of “Bullitt.”
“That is owned by a private collector,” Chad McQueen said, “who refuses to display it, or part with it, for any price.”
For motorsports fans, Steve McQueen’s movies provided vicarious thrills that will live forever in reruns:
• The motorcycle pursuit scene in “The Great Escape,” in which through the magic of editing McQueen was able to ride both as the escaping P.O.W. and the German soldier pursuing him. (His stunt double, Bud Ekins, actually made the famed jump over the log-and-razor wire fence.)
• The ad-libbed dune buggy scene with Faye Dunaway in “The Thomas Crown Affair” introduced little-known manufacturer Meyers Manx. (McQueen had raced one in desert events.)
• The epic chase through the streets of San Francisco in “Bullitt” (shown in the above video) has been cited numerous times as moviedom’s most memorable car chase. The Ford Motor Company has reissued limited-edition versions of the Mustang used in the film — all of which sold out, the company said.
• The movie “Le Mans,” for which McQueen insisted on such authenticity that it consumed years of his career and bankrupted his production company, has transitioned in film annals from a milestone flop to a cult hit.
• His obsession with motorcycle racing helped popularize an obscure form of competition called trials riding, and helped make immortal “On Any Sunday.”