As promised, here’s the latest in the Cars and Stars photo essay series at Mac’s Motor City Garage—an all-Steve McQueen edition.
McQueen was not just a man’s man. He was a car guy’s car guy. No Hollywood poseur with bikes and automobiles, he was a passionate and genuine enthusiast, the real deal.
Gearheads know of his favorite cars: Jaguar XKSS, Ferrari Lusso, the old-shoe Chevy convertible he took a shine to in middle age. They know of his competition-grade riding exploits in the International SIx Day Trials and his world-class collection of of over 100 vintage motorcycles. They know chapter and verse about his sincere attempt to create the definitive Hollywood racing movie, LeMans, and they can mouth every line of its thankfully spare dialogue.
If you’d like to know more about McQueen’s life with cars, you can pick up Matt Stone’s book, McQueen’s Machines. For insights on the man himself, don’t miss Denise McCluggage’s moving personal remembrance in her great collection of essays, By Brooks Too Broad For Leaping. (“How do you like your blue-eyed boy, Mr. Death?”) In the meantime, please enjoy the photo gallery below.
Shame we lost him so early. I always wished that he, Newman & Garner would get together and make the superlative racing movie. LeMans is terrific but not very interesting to folks who have yet to catch the racing bug.
I always favored Paul Newman because we were both East coast guys, and I saw him many times when he was starting out in Datsun 510s and TR-6s. Newman didn’t have the ultimate car collection but you have to admire someone who can still turn a decent lap while in his seventies.
I can’t think of anyone who inherited the McQueen/Newman racing mantle. Maybe Patrick Duffy, but he can’t sell the sizzle like those old-timers.
he was a great actor and good racer we lost a special friend