Steve McQueen Métisse replica
The Métisse Triumph Steve McQueen desert racer
May/June 2009
By Alan Cathcart
 |
The Métisse Triumph Steve McQueen Desert Racer.
Kyoichi Nakamura
|
Claimed power: 47hp @ 6,700rpm
Top speed: 90mph (est.)
Engine type: 649cc, air-cooled OHV parallel twin
Weight: (dry) 135kg (297lbs)
Price: Approx. $18,500
RELATED CONTENT
From Triumph cylinder kits to Arai’s latest helmet, these are six cool products every classic bike ...
Motorcycles finally break into the most prestigious classic car show in North America....
At Daytona in 1952 a team from Janesville, Wis., consisted of (left to right) R.L. Patterson, crew ...
Motorcycle shops used to be small, friendly, family-owned affairs. These days, a lot of motorcycle ...
Two decades after his untimely death in 1980, the world’s ongoing fascination with movie star Steve McQueen — and his connection to motorcycles — lives on.
As the iconic Hollywood biker whose movie exploits — matched by his riding skills, especially offroad — marked him as special, the star of the Great Escape retains a special fascination for generations of bike enthusiasts. Prices paid for McQueen memorabilia at Bonhams auctions the last few years underscore the interest in anything connected with the man. How about $70,200 for the pair of blue-tinted Persol sunglasses he wore in the Thomas Crown Affair, or his black Belstaff riding jacket, which sold for $32,760 (estimated at $4,000)? Against those figures, the approximately $18,500 Métisse Motorcycles is asking for an exact replica of McQueen’s favorite motorcycle seems almost a bargain.
The bike in question was a Triumph-powered Métisse Mark III Desert Racer McQueen bought in 1966 and rode offroad extensively, including many grueling competition miles. Each of the 300 individually numbered replicas of this bike will come authenticated with a facsimile of McQueen’s autograph on the fuel tank, thanks to the approval of McQueen’s son Chad. He’s followed in his dad’s tire tracks as an offroader himself, and has taken delivery of bike no. 000 (which he plans to ride rather than look at) as part of the deal. McQueen’s original bike no longer exists, and is thought to have been broken up.
The McQueen Replica
Chad’s bike wasn’t the first McQueen replica Métisse built, and indeed the idea came from an unlikely source. Sir Anthony Bamford owns JCB, makers of earthmovers and construction equipment, and runs one of the world’s top historic racing car teams. “He’s not a motorcyclist himself, but Sir Anthony is an avid fan of Steve McQueen, who he used to know through car racing,” says Métisse Motorcycles owner Gerry Lisi. “About three years ago, he approached me to build a replica of the Mark III Métisse that Steve bought in 1966. We delivered it to the JCB showroom in London, where he put it on display. Over the next year or so, I kept hearing of so many people who were interested in this motorcycle, and were asking where they could buy one. So I thought, ‘There’s an opportunity missed, if I don’t get on with it!’ So I applied to the McQueen estate and managed to get permission from Chad McQueen to go ahead. He was very, very keen to see it proceed, because out of all the 200 or so different bikes he had, this was his dad’s favorite, basically.”
McQueen’s feelings about his Triumph Métisse were recorded in an article published in the November 1966 Popular Science, in which he described the bike as being years ahead of its time: “It’s a revolutionary piece of equipment that does away with the oil tank,” McQueen said. “The oil circulates through the tubes of the frame, which keeps it cool — that’s especially important when you’re racing or driving under hard conditions. The BSA fork clamps are the strongest around, which is real important for me because I’ve hit bumps so hard that sometimes I’ve actually bent the handlebars.” That tells you how hard he rode, habitually ignoring studio instructions not to ride and race motorcycles by competing in a succession of desert races, gaining the experience and skills as well as the kudos to earn him a seat on the U.S. team in the 1964 ISDE. “Racing is life — the rest is just waiting” is one of the many bons mots attributed to him.
Page: 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Next >>