A motorcycle, a jacket and a pair of sunglasses is the perfect way to celebrate Steve McQueen, and all three can be yours for a combined $250,000 if top estimates at a sale next week go to form.
The Movies and Motorcars sale at Julien’s Auctions lists a number of items connected to McQueen whose love of fast petrol-powered travel was deep, genuine and long lasting.
With a bid of $125,000 registered, the 1926 Excelsior Super X Flat Tracker Motorcycle has already reached its bottom estimate, and may well exceed its $150,000 best estimate.
The bike was given to McQueen by Bud Ekins, a racer who stunt doubled for McQueen in The Great Escape.
While you ride the bike you could wear a Steve McQueen Gulf Oil Jacket from the movie Le Mans. It is listed with a $50,000 to $70,000 estimate and has already attracted a $20,000 bid.
With your jacket, you can wear your new Steve McQueen Percol glasses, as modelled in The Thomas Crown Affair. Image courtesy of Julien’s Auctions.
Although the jacket was not worn on screen in the 1971 movie, it was owned by McQueen, who gave it to make-up artist Wes Dawn. It carries racing patches from Gulf Oil Team Sweden.
To complete your look you could pop on a pair of Persol sunglasses, though you’ll need between $20,000 and $30,000, and certainly more than a $17,500 current bid that has not yet met the reserve price.
The tortoiseshell-framed glasses are closely linked with McQueen, who wore a pair in The Thomas Crown Affair, the 1968 movie that helped cement his image as one of Hollywood’s coolest leading men.
This pair comes with amber lenses and a note from the star’s optician to confirm their authenticity.
McQueen didn’t just sit in cars in front of a green screen, he was an accomplished driver, and raced at a high level.
That authentic link has given an extra attraction to cars related to him.
In 2020, the Mustang he raced around San Francisco in Bullitt sold for $3.4 million at auction. And the Porsche 917K from the Le Mans film sold for more than $11 million in 2017. Another car from the movie is owned by Jerry Seinfeld, who has reportedly turned down a $25 million bid for the vehicle that he paid around $6 million for.
