Steve McQueen’s Le Mans 1970 Porsche 911S Up For Auction

[Busta Rib]

I wonder how much this will ultimately go for. Given its provenance, it will be spendy.

Steve McQueen



"Thanks in part to the Gulf-liveried 917s dominating the story line, Porsches have long been linked to Steve McQueen‘s pet project, Le Mans. But long before the 917 and 910 racers actually popped up on-screen during the film, the movie showcases one Porsche in particular: a Slate Grey 1970 911S.

Now you’ll have a chance to own it.

RM Auctions announced today that McQueen’s own 1970 911S — the very car used in the opener to his cult classic racing film — will be auctioned this August at its Monterey auction.

The high-tilt 911S was purchased by McQueen’s Solar Productions firm, but was used by the star as personal transportation during the movie’s filming in France.

The 911 ended up being more than just a means of mobility, however — not only was it used in a nice cameo at the dawn of the film, but McQueen himself opted to bring the car back to California after filming was complete.

Shortly after, the car was sold for a host of reasons, one of which was McQueen already owned a 1969 911S fitted with a custom stereo to his tastes. The car passed through a number of owners in the years following, but according to RM, the car itself remains in largely original condition.

“There is no more iconic racing film than Le Mans, and no more charismatic owner of many of the world’s great sports cars than Steve McQueen,” Rob Myers, founder and chairman of RM, said in a prepared release. “We are delighted to have been selected to present this iconic car at our upcoming Monterey sale.”

No estimate is given for the 911S, but those two factors — the screen time plus the legend of McQueen ownership — may be enough to drive up bidding for the Porsche. Look for McQueen’s 911S to roll across the auction block over the weekend of August 19-20, and visit RM AUCTIONS for more information.

Source: RM Auctions

Photos courtesy of RM Auctions/ Darin Schnabel"

[widgeon13]

That won't be cheap. Look at the wipers, are they set up differently?

[sm70911]

A buyer ?

[ljowdy]

Doesn't this car belong to a Pelican Member?

[javadog]

Yes, it does.

JR

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

That won't be cheap. Look at the wipers, are they set up differently?

I haven't seen that before. Maybe a one of??

[fg1227]

Originally Posted by ljowdy

Doesn't this car belong to a Pelican Member?

yes.I OWN IT!!

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by fg1227

yes.I OWN IT!!

Frank

What's with the wipers?

[nesslar]

Two motor setup apparently, unless there is a delay in there for starting and parking the passenger side....looks like a good thing.

[mpetry]

In Frank's picture album, the wipers are "correctly" installed on the drivers side. I suspect they were incorrectly installed for the photo shoot. Hard to believe they would'nt know...

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by mpetry

In Frank's picture album, the wipers are "correctly" installed on the drivers side. I suspect they were incorrectly installed for the photo shoot. Hard to believe they would'nt know...

Maybe the one on the passenger side is broken or stripped???

[romad]

Really why would you want to spend 2, 3...times the value of something just because an actor once owned it............talk about buyer remorse after that purchase...."dang, its just like my other 1970 911s"

[AirKuhl]

Originally Posted by romad

Really why would you want to spend 2, 3...times the value of something just because an actor once owned it............talk about buyer remorse after that purchase...."dang, its just like my other 1970 911s"

Because it's a better deal.

As a famous collector's item it will only appreciate, and at that level it will be somewhat insulated from economic fluctuations as well.

Think of it as part of a diversified investment portfolio, except this sounds like more fun to me. Only downside is the risk of wadding it up so you can't really relax and drive it much.

[javadog]

It's an iconic car.. how many of us have watched that movie and wished that we could travel back in time and drive that car, on those roads, in France. Not now, mind you, but in that same year. Things were much different then.

It's no different than any other item that has attained 'collectible' status. Would you rather sink a million bucks into a Spiderman, or Superman comic?

JR

[Rich76_911s]

Originally Posted by romad

Really why would you want to spend 2, 3...times the value of something just because an actor once owned it............talk about buyer remorse after that purchase...."dang, its just like my other 1970 911s"

Here we go again. . .

You think it is bad to pay 2 or 3x a cars value try paying ($420,000 after auction fee's) or 100,000x value for a glove that won't even keep your hand warm!

Michael Jackson White Glove - Michael Jackson's white glove auctioned for $350,000 - Los Angeles Times

Sure wish I had gotten to see the car before it left the east coast.

[Nine17]

Originally Posted by sm70911

A buyer ?

My guess is that the gentleman next to the Spyder has already passed at the price required. The seller certainly knows how to get a hold of him -- he already sold that particular gentleman 917-022 from the same film. The position of that passenger-side windshield wiper in the auction company photos tells me all that I need to know about this sale...

[kaisen]

$1.25 Million hammer, $1.35 Million with fees

Yes. You read that correctly