The Top 5 Most Expensive Cars Owned By Steve McQueen
The "King of Cool" loved cars and motorcycles so much that he often made them an integral part of his films during his illustrious acting career.
During "The Great Escape" (1963), McQueen personally steered the Triumph TR6R for all the scenes shot for the film (via Hagerty). In one of the most iconic car chases in movie history, McQueen was behind the wheel (along with stunt driver Bud Ekins) of the classic 1968 Ford Mustang GT for many of the shots careening through the streets of San Francisco in the film "Bullitt" (via Britannica). "The Thomas Crown Affair" (another '68 movie) showcased McQueen's love for off-roading as he drove the dune buggy around Massachusetts' Crane Beach. He also drove the Porsche 917 K in the 1971 film "Le Mans" (via Porsche).
McQueen was so fascinated with racing that he routinely used the pseudonym Harvey Mushman to enter them anonymously. In 1970, he (and a teammate) drove the 12 Hours of Sebring — while having a broken foot in six places. They came in second behind famous racer Mario Andretti by only 23 seconds. McQueen was so obsessed with racing that he once mused, "I'm not sure whether I'm an actor who races or a racer who acts" (via Porsche).
Faster than a speeding Bullitt
As one might expect, he had an equally legendary car collection. McQueen died on November 7, 1980, from mesothelioma (via History), so this list will consist of ones he was known to have personally possessed during his lifetime.
With that said, let's start by getting a few things straight. First, McQueen never actually owned the '68 Mustang GT from "Bullitt." Over the years, he sent letters to the family who owned it for decades, pleading to buy it back (via Hagerty), but ultimately failed. As such, it won't be on this list. However, the GT did sell at a Mecum auction in 2020 for $3,740,000.
The same can be said for any of the Porsche 917K's he drove during the filming of "Le Mans." While it's true his production company (Solar Productions) bought chassis number 022, it was sold off and eventually landed in comedian and well-known Porschephile, Jerry Seinfeld's collection (via Hagerty). One of those sold for a staggering $14,080,000 in 2017, but McQueen never owned one.
The King of Cool loved Ferraris
Topping the list of most expensive rides is a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, which McQueen ordered new from the factory while still filming "Bullitt." In fact, it was delivered to him while still on the set (via The Gentlemen's Journal), and he held onto it for over four years (via Sotheby's).
The body was designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti. Under the hood was an all-aluminum Colombo V12 engine with six Weber carburetors. The 3.3-liter produced 300hp at 8,000rpm with 215 ft-lb of torque and was mated to a manual 5-speed. It went from zero-to-sixty in 5.5 seconds, did the quarter mile in 14 seconds, and had a top speed of almost 159mph (via conceptcarz.com). In 2014, it sold at a Sotheby's auction for $10,175,000.
Next is yet another Ferrari from Pininfarina and Scaglietti, a 250 GT/L Lusso Berlinetta. According to Christie's, only 350 were made, and McQueen bought his brown-colored Lusso new in 1963 from the famed Otto Zipper showroom in Santa Monica. He owned it for about four years (see a trend here?) until he sold it to buy — you guessed it — another Ferrari, a NART Spider to be exact, after driving one during the filming of "The Thomas Crown Affair."
Getting back to the 250 GT/L Lusso Berlinetta, the 3-liter V12 Colombo engine came with three Weber dual throat carburetors and kicked out 240hp at 7,000rpm. It's hooked to a 4-speed manual synchro transmission and can reach sixty miles per hour from a standstill in 8 seconds at a top speed of 155 (via conceptcarz.com). McQueen's Lusso Berlinetta was bought in 1973 and stored for 24 years (via Christie's). It was sold at auction in 2011 for $2,310,000.
[Featured image by Rex Grey via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]
[Embedded image by exfordy via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]
McQueen loved Porsches too
The 1976 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo was the last car McQueen special ordered. His was made early in the production run, so it has the rare non-intercooled 3-liter engine. He went way off the menu by asking for a dashboard switch that would turn off the tail lights. Why? In case he got chased by the police when flying down Mulholland Drive (via Mecum). "King of Cool," indeed.
The unique slate gray 911 came with a sunroof, dual mirrors, sport seats with black interior, and a limited-slip differential (via Mecum). The turbocharged 3-liter churned out 234hp at 5,500rpm, with 245 ft-lb of torque. It also had a special order Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection that scooted the thing from 0 to 60mph in 4.9 seconds at a top speed of 156mph (via conceptcarz.com). It sold at a Mecum auction in 2015 for $1,950,000.
The next McQueen Porsche is also a slate grey Porsche, this time a 1970 911S. It was not only delivered new to him while on the set of "Le Mans," but driven by McQueen himself during the opening scenes of the film. Not surprisingly, he sold it a few years later. To be fair, he did keep his 1969 model Porsche (in the same color), which apparently had a "costly stereo system" already installed (via Sotheby's).
The 2.2-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and bangs out 200hp at 6,500rpm with 164 ft-lb of torque. The sports car (driven directly to the set by Porsche representatives) was decked out with "rare" factory-installed AC, tinted glass, a Blaupunkt stereo, and special upgrades that included leather upholstery (via Sotheby's). McQueen's 911 sold at auction for $1,375,000, while a similar year/make/model in Concours condition only fetches a mere $225,000 (via Hagerty). Like we said, "King of Cool" indeed.
[Embedded image by David Merrett via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]
Siata it ain't so!
Finally, we come to a car that was neither a Ferrari nor a Porsche. It's not only the first on the list not to be ordered new by McQueen himself (he was the second owner), but the first to sell at auction for less than $1 million (by a nose). The 1953 208S Spyder was built by Societá Italiana Auto Trasformazioni Accessori (SIATA). Only 35 of this model were built (via Hagerty).
When McQueen purchased the Spyder in 1956 from the previous owner, he promptly ripped off the car's original badging and replaced them with Prancing Horse logos of Ferrari (via Hagerty). Don't question the King's motives. The SIATA came with a 2-liter version of Fiat's "Otto Vu" V8 that kicked out an estimated 132hp at 6,300rpm (via Sotheby's), had a top speed of 124 mph, and was mated to a four-speed manual transmission (via conceptcarz.com). He owned the car for two years before selling it (via Hagerty). It was sold in 2011 at a Sotheby's auction for $946,000.