McQueen's Machines

Subtitled 'The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon', this book offers an interesting insight into the wide variety of vehicles owned by the King of Cool over the years, from exotic rarities like the Jaguar XK-SS, to knockabout GMC and Ford pickup trucks. It's interesting to note that, on occasion, McQueen tried to buy back the cars he had previously owned and enjoyed. The McQueen movie cars and bikes are covered in detail. As you'd expect, Bullitt features heavily in this section. The now iconic chase scene involving the equally iconic '68 Mustang 390GT is covered in minute detail, from selecting and prepping the cars, how the chase unfolded, and the subsequent fate of the cars involved in it.

Cars from other McQueen classics like The Thomas Crown Affair and Le Mans are also covered. The third chapter covers McQueen's racing history, in machinery as diverse as a Porsche 908 Spyder (in which he finished second in the 1970 Sebring 12 Hour race) and an aero-bodied Austin-Healey. Most readers will be aware that McQueen was just as enthusiastic a rider as he was a driver. We've all seen that scene in The Great Escape, but the book adds some new information to the tale. McQueen's quirky collection of classic bikes, most of which were sold in a 1984 Estate Auction, are also covered.