Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917: the one that got away

This really was the one that got away. The auction world was primed for a landmark sale in Florida back in January as arguably the most special of all the Le Mans Porsche 917s headed to the block with Mecum in Kissimmee.

One of the first batch of 917s built, 917-022 was the car Steve McQueen had planned to enter at Le Mans in 1970 alongside Formula 1 star Jackie Stewart, using the footage captured during the actual event to create the Le Mans film. Deemed too dangerous, McQueen’s plan was shut down by his insurers, so he purchased 022 for his Solar Productions firm instead and used it for high-speed filming at La Sarthe instead.

“McQueen had planned to race the car at Le Mans with Jackie Stewart”

Production wrapped, the car then began its competition career after being sold to Reinhold Joest in 1971 and contested eight rounds of the World Sportscar Championship. Jo Siffert also took it to second place in the 1971 Grand Prix Repubblica Vallelunga. Its ownership then shifted through Brian Redman, Richard Attwood – who briefly re-liveried it into his Le Mans-winning Salzberg colours – and eventually noted Porsche collector Frank Gallogly, who put it up for sale shortly after with California-based dealer Symbolic International. It was here that US comedian Jerry Seinfeld spotted it, eventually agreeing to buy it after Steve’s son Chad McQueen had demonstrated the car for him at Willow Springs Raceway – despite reports of a front wheel falling off while he did so.

When Seinfeld then consigned 917-022 to Mecum’s Kissimmee sale back in January fevered speculation ahead of the event focused on how much it would go for – with whispers of up to $80m as potential.

Sadly, the reality was rather different in the room as bidding failed to match the opening $25m, eventually getting off the ground at $15m and creeping back to its starting amount before Seinfeld pulled the sale.

It wasn’t the first time a 917 has disappointed at auction, but it was the most high profile.