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MCQUEEN'S MACHINES: THE CARS AND BIKES OF A HOLLYWOOD ICON

Matt Stone

He made movies best remembered for their wild car chases, mad motorcycle dashes, and hair-raising races, but no one forgets the man at the wheel--Steve McQueen, the King of Cool. No other Hollywood star has been so closely linked with cars and bikes. It is this connection that McQueen's Machines explores, giving readers a close-up look at the cars and motorcycles McQueen drove in movies, those he owned, and others he raced.

From the 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback he drove in Bullitt (in the greatest car chase of all time) to his Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow in The Thomas Crown Affair, from the Triumph motorcycle of The Great Escape to the Gulf-Porsche 917K he actually raced in Le Mans, the cars and bikes that McQueen made famous in films make another appearance here. The book also features the cars, motorcycles, and even airplanes that McQueen owned over the years, including two motorcycles that fetched record prices at a recent auction: a 1937 Crocker 'Hemi-head' V-Twin and a 1920 Indian Powerplus Daytona.

Among notable cars profiled in the book are a 1959 Porsche Speedster bought new by McQueen, a 1957 Jaguar XKSS, a 1963 Ferrari 250 Lusso, a 1953 Siata 208S, a 1965 Ferrari 275 NART Spyder, and a 1969 'Le Mans' Porsche 911S. With a foreword by Steve's son, Chad McQueen, and a wealth of details about the stars amateur racing career, his movie stunt work, and his car and motorcycle collecting, McQueen's Machines draws a fascinating picture of one outsized mans driving passion.