(RM Auctions)
A Porsche once owned by the "King of Cool," Steve McQueen, is being sold at auction this summer.
The1970 911 S is itself a veteran of the silver screen, having been featured in the opening sequence of McQueen’s epic tribute to his love of automobiles and motorsports, “Le Mans.” It was used as the actor’s personal car during the filming of the movie in France while he was living in a rented 30-room 15th century chateau. The car is mentioned in book, “Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon,” in a passage where the star takes a Hollywood executive visiting the set on a 100 mph ride through the French countryside.
The car will cross the block at the RM Auctions Monterey event in California in August. The company says the coupe “remains in exceptionally original condition.” According to a 2008 story on InsideLine.com, McQueen brought it with him back to California after filming wrapped, but sold it a year later.
Interestingly, the Porsche is painted nearly the same shade of green as the car McQueen is better known for, the Ford Mustang that he drove through the streets of San Francisco in the 1968 smash hit “Bullitt.”
RM has not offered an estimated price for the Porsche, but according to NADAGuides.com well-maintained versions of the model have a street value of $33,200, without the Hollywood pedigree, of course. In 2007, an ex-McQueen 1963 Ferrari 250 was sold for $2.3 million, nearly five times what similar cars were going for at the time.
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