Steve McQueen's Ferrari 275 GTB/4

A veritable titan in the realms of both cinema and automotive culture, the legendary actor Steve McQueen hardly requires an introduction, but his unique position as a car-loving popular icon is worth reviewing. A forerunner of today’s tough-guy A-list leading men, McQueen was that rare actor who often played himself. This was not a classically trained thespian pretending to love fast cars, faster women, and the scent of danger, but rather the opposite, a real-life man of action who happened to be able to act.

From the brilliant motorcycling of The Great Escape, to the legendary Charger vs Mustang chase through San Francisco in Bullitt, through the unparalleled high-speed duels of Le Mans, to his screams of “Punch it, baby!” in Sam Peckinpah’s unforgettably gritty The Getaway, McQueen forged an identity as one of cinema’s most genuine car enthusiasts, all while pairing up with a parade of Hollywood’s most scintillating actresses, including Jaqueline Bisset, Faye Dunaway, and Ali MacGraw. Tough, charming, physically electrifying, and ruggedly handsome, the onetime Marine quickly evolved into an inspiration for the men of his generation and beyond, perhaps none so much as his fellow automotive enthusiasts.

McQueen’s true passion was the hard driving of visceral speed machines, from luxury sports cars and motorcycles to racecars. His garage variously featured such gems as a Jaguar XKSS and four different Ferraris, including one of the uber-rare 275 GTS/4 NART Spiders. The car featured here was one of these Prancing Horses, and its story is actually rooted in the fate of the NART Spider, in which McQueen was reportedly rear-ended while waiting at a stoplight in Malibu. Understandably not content to be patient with what would have been time-consuming body repairs, McQueen instead chose to purchase this 275 GTB/4 berlinetta to replace the NART Spider.

The car in question had been built in late 1967, originally finished in Nocciola (hazelnut) over a Nero leather interior. Distributed to William Harrah’s Modern Classic Motors via Luigi Chinetti, the 275 was purchased by McQueen through Chic Vandagriff’s well-known Hollywood Sport Cars in December 1967. The actor immediately dispatched the berlinetta to his car guru, Lee Brown, for a repaint. In addition to owning a popular garage, Brown is generally credited with performing the modifications of the legendary Ford Mustang GT 390 used in Bullitt.

Brown refinished the coachwork in a unique shade of dark maroon that he had formulated and dubbed Chianti Red, and at McQueen’s request he fitted two elements that were successfully removed from the damaged NART Spider: The Borrani wire wheels and the aerodynamically slippery sideview mirror mounted on the driver-side wing. McQueen then used this 275 to commute to the set of Bullitt, with one photo depicting him dressed as the troubled detective while standing next to the pristine Ferrari. In 1971 the King of Cool sold the Ferrari to fellow actor Guy Williams, who is best remembered for his roles in the film Zorro and the popular television series Lost in Space.

This 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, formerly owned by Steve McQueen is available as part of RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction on the 18th-19th August 2023. It’s expected to fetch between $5-$7m. Photos © Tim Scott/RM Sotheby’s