A few years back on a trip to San Francisco my son and I just had to go to the apartment McQueen was living in "Bullitt". While standing outside looking at the building a guy from the store across the street (the one where McQueen bought all of those TV dinners in the film) stuck his head outside and asked us if we were looking for Steve McQueen? What followed was an interesting one hour conversation about the film and the man. Turned out the guy from the store was a newspaper deliveryman years ago and said his parking brake on his delivery van had failed one day while he was inside a store and the van had started to roll down the street, suddenly a guy appeared chasing after it and jumped into it, stopping it, saving the day. That guy was Steve McQueen and all he would accept was a free paper. Definately the king of cool in my opinion.
The main thing that kept him from doing his own stunts was the insurance companies and the studios not wanting him to hurt his looks. He pretty much flew the f off flag and raced on weekends. Women wanted to sleep with him and guys wanted to be him.
Thats cool Vic is signing your car but the close up of the signature strangely looks kinds boobie...... Doc.
I've been a big McQueen fan for a long time. However, like someone mentioned he did very little of the actual driving in Bullitt or Great Escape. Basically, he only did the parts where he would be recognizable. Here's an interview with a guy who did a lot of the driving on Bullitt. http://m.jalopnik.com/5744523/the-real-story-of-the-chase-scene-in-bullitt I also recall that the cars were prepped by Max Balchowski. Kurt O.
Sometime in the early 1970s Cartoons Magazine or similar magazine did a spoof of the movie "Le Mans". IIRC the story line was 2 hippies in a van stumble onto the race track and run in to Steve with his 917K. Maybe it was just me but I got a real kick out of it at the supermarket. I was laughing pretty hard. It was as good as anything MAD could have come up with if they tried.
big biiig!! steve mcqueen fan.as a kid love to wacht "wanted dead or alive".however very disappointed once I found out what a big dope head he was.shame.
Just a note about McQueen and Revson at Sebring. Whenever that race is mentioned it is always about how McQueen finished second. Fact is, McQueen was hurt, he had broken his foot riding a dirt bike and it was in a cast. The cut the cast down and wrapped it so he could drive but he was in a lot of pain. Fact is Revson did the majority of the driving and was a couple of seconds a lap faster than Steve. The other thing that doesn't get mentioned is the tremendous drive Mario Andretti put in to win the thing. Andretti was driving for Ferrari and the car he started broke with about 2 hours to go. He was actually about to leave the track when the team manager ran him down and asked him to take over the remaining Ferrari 512 which was well behind the leaders in 4th. (Sounds like the story line in "Le Mans" huh.) Mario took over the car and proceeded to drive the wheels off the thing. He passed an Alfa for 3rd and then started reeling in the Revson-Mcqueen 908 by as much as 6 seconds a lap. The 908 was a 3 liter car and the Ferrari a 5 liter car but at Sebring the track is so rough that it's almost a matter of survival. Andretti got past Revson with about a half hour to go and then went after the leading 917. But Sebring bit the 917 and it had to pit with a bad wheel hub. Andretti had the lead over Revson but not by much and he was running out of fuel. With 3 laps to go Andretti pitted for a splash of fuel and managed to make it back out right on Revson's tail. Andretti retook the lead on the same lap and held on win by 22 seconds. Mario has called it his greatest drive. Andretti has said that during the race the PA announcer was really talking up McQueen at every chance and it really irked him. He didn't like how they were focusing so much on that "Hollywood guy". Kurt O.
Place in UK sells McQueen gear. http://www.thekingofcool.com/motorcycle His Husqvarna up for auction. http://www.luxist.com/2011/03/21/steve-mcqueen-husqvarna-motorcycle-auction/ The Husqvarna 400CR motorcycle pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in August 1971 ridden by Steve McQueen, aka The King of Cool, will be auctioned off on May 14 at Quail Lodge in Carmel, California during Bonhams' sale of Exceptional Motorcycles & Related Memorabilia. McQueen's favorite motorcycle for a number of years, which he rode at the Elsinore Grand Prix among other events, it's sure to fetch a significant amount. The bike is featured prominently in the cool new edition of McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon from Motorbooks. The Husqvarna was originally purchased from the Steve McQueen Estate Sale in 1984 at Harrah's Auto Collection in Las Vegas. In addition to being impeccably restored and fully documented it comes with a wooden trunk marked "Husky" full of accessories. More McQueen ephemera will be offered at the sale including numerous racing trophies won by the legend of the silver screen and die-hard motorbike enthusiast. As we reported on March 10, McQueen's 1970 Porsche 911 is also headed for auction this summer.
I bought a Bullit T-shirt in Germany a few years ago, and as I was drunk when I bought it I didn't realize the car int the background is NOT a fastback Mustang, but a regular HT. Haha, it cracks me up every time. Let me see if I can find it and post a picture of it.
He was a real man, didnt seem to care about alot other than making the movie the best he could. kinda like Sinatra. The other things about his life was weird and so much more so when he got older, But watch the end of "On any Sunday" and listen to the movie maker talk about him. He was really impressed with the man. Sounded like a good guy overall.
I lived in Oceanside CA for a couple years in early 70's worked on Camp Pendleton as a contractor. Heard stories of his taking a tank off base to see a girl friend. The MP's just followed the crushed curbing to her apt. Check here for info on Bullit http://www.ponysite.de/bullitt.htm
Happy Birthday Steve. I was racing off road bikes up until 09 and I always wanted a life size McQueen stand up cutout thing to put outside my RV
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