In addition to Steve McQueen’s well-documented 1971 Husqvarna 400 motorcycle, Bonhams will be auctioning the iconic actor’s collection of racing trophies in Carmel, California, on May 14th. The nearly two-dozen pieces in the King of Cool’ collection will be sold individually and with no reserve. Spanning a period from the late 1950s to the mid-70s, this amazing collection includes some of the following trophies: 1959 Santa Barbara Road Races, 3rd Place – McQueen’s first big race, driving a Lotus XI 1969 IDRA 4×4 Ascot Park, 1st Place. 1961 RRMC Hare Scramble, 2nd Place. 1964 RRMC “Long Distance Champion” 1964 District 37 Championship Hare Scrambles, 2nd Place. 1971 ACE, 3rd place.
In addition to these and many other awards, a complete collection of 19 unpublished photographs of McQueen at the Ascot Park races will be offered, as well as race programs, a wooden trunk used by McQueen to haul his personal effects, and even the original Solar Productions patent for the plastic safety seat designed by McQueen, called the “Baja Bucket.”
The Bonhams sale of “Collectors’ Motorcycles and Related Memorabilia” will take place on Saturday, May 14th at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, California. To order a catalog and register to bid as a buyer – remotely or in person, please call 415-391-4000 or e-mail usacars@bonhams.com. For more information about the sale online, please visit Bohnams.
Steve McQueen Collection Of Racing Trophies To Be auctioned.
Published by April 22nd, 2011 in Editorial and Events.1 Response to “Steve McQueen Collection Of Racing Trophies To Be auctioned.”
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Without a doubt the King of Cool because he lived the m/c lifestyle to the very end, which was inside a modular trailer holistic “Cancer Clinic”, perched on the cliff line above the beach, in then, a most desolate area of Baja below K57 (57 klm. south of Tijuana) and always overcast – In a pre-fab box, throwing money at cancer treatments like most of would do to try and stay here on earth a while longer.
During the motocross years of 1965-1971, Roger DeCosta, Arnie Kring, Joel Robert, Fredel Kreedle, and Malcome Smith, there was a natural crossover to ocean surfing (because of the quick decision balance, and “trouble can come from any direction” hard-wired awareness factor ~ good surfers and skate boarders make Excellent M/C riders).
So, all the guys mentioned above mixed freely with Bruce Brown, (Any Sunday) Mickey Munoz, Hobie Alter, Keenan Wynn, Grubby Clark (Clark Foam®), a handfull of hard-core crazies, along with Surfer Magazine and it’s full quiver of quick-draw photographers that made many of the events where these guys congregated.
Surfer® ran an article on Bruce Brown about 5 yrs. ago that had candid photos of McQueen and some guys standing in the back-country, around an open-bed pickup, talking, with gas cans and tools sitting on the tailgate after a helmet-less scrambles session. McQueen was standing there normal like, looking into the middle of the loose half-circle of friends, squinting, bare-chested, wearing a pair black riding leathers.
The surreptitous photo was taken so fast, that what we SEE are 5 guys staring at McQueen, clearly embarrassed that they can’t take their eyes off this guy’s natural 6-pk, but also relieved that no one has a camera to catch this weird moment nobody is comfortable with.
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A real life what-he-did movie about this fellow would be interesting, beyond the movie aspect, because he shared his problems with his peer group of troubled kids.