- McQueen’s Willys Jeep for auction
- Action man’s estate vehicle to be sold
- Got a coupla million rands to spare?
LONDON, England – A 1945 Willys Jeep once owned by the ‘King of Cool’ himself, Steve McQueen, will be on the block at Silverstone Auctions’ final sale of the year in Birmingham, England over November10/11.
The star of films such as Bullitt, The Great Escape and Le Mans built a reputation as ‘King of Cool’ thanks to his antihero parts in films and, in 1974, was named the world’s best-paid actor.
He assembled a huge car collection – among them a 1945 Willys Jeep, one of the 300 000 assembled during the Second World War and delivered to the US Army on July 7 1945.
McQueen died in 1980 and the Jeep was offered at auction at a Steve McQueen estate auction at the Imperial Palace hotel in Las Vegas on November 25, 1984.
TWO PASSIONS, ONE MOVIE
Adam Rutter, a classic car-specialist at Silverstone, told The Corner in a media release: “McQueen’s reputation as actor and racing driver is historic. His love of speed and all things cars is famous.
”He even combined his two passions in the 1971 film Le Mans.”
READ MORE Jeep features on Carman’s Corner
The Jeep has a 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, engine capable of 45kW and around 120km/h. It wasn’t the fastest car in McQueen’s collection but was certainly one of the most iconic. In his early movie career McQueen even appeared as a Jeep driver in the 1959 film Never So Few.
The Jeep for auction has a plaque recording it as being owned by Steve McQueen and the vehicle could realise as much as R2-million. It has undergone thorough renovation to the specification during McQueen’s ownership.
…AND THE PLATES, TOO
Included will be the original blue Californian license plates valid until for road October 31 1980, a week before the actor died.
