The King of Cool’s personal Porsche 911, which was used in the 1971 film Le Mans, will be up for auction by Christie’s on November 4. This car was owned by the production company that McQueen owned and was the car shown in the beginning of the film when McQueen’s character, Delaney, visits the scene of a fatal racing accident before the race begins.
McQueen was to keep the car after filming, but relinquished it because of a bit of behind-the-scenes drama. The 1971 Porsche 911T was owned by CBS Solar Film Studios, the actor’s production company, but was instead given over to fellow actor Elga Andersen to avoid a scandal. McQueen and Andersen were said to have had an affair during the filming and the car was a sort of “keep it quiet” prize.
The car has a richer history than even that, though. It was purchased from famed Le Mans driver Jo Seppi Siffert, the Swiss driver who took the win twice before the film was even made. Seppi provided several vehicles to the film and crew during the shoot from his own collection. These included some of the cars seen on the track, such as a Porsche 908 and 917.
As for the 1971 Porsche 911T, it is expected to fetch $285,955 or more when it hits the block in about two weeks’ time.