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LOT 86

Ex-Steve McQueen 1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pick-up Chassis no. 3GP-K 30125

Sold for US$95,200 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 86

Ex-Steve McQueen
1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pick-up

Ex-Steve McQueen
1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pick-up
Chassis no. 3GP-K 30125


216ci Thrift-Master Six Engine
Single Carburetor
105bhp at 3,800rpm
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Leaf Spring Suspension
4-Wheel Drum Brakes

*Owned and used by legendary actor and style icon Steve McQueen
*Sold by Barbara Minty McQueen to the current owner
*Unrestored condition, like Steve McQueen last drove it
*Cool and historic Americana at its finest

THE KING OF COOL AND HIS TRUCKS

Steve McQueen crossed over into the realm of popular culture and became 'The King of Cool.' More than three-and-a-half decades later, his impact on films, cars, motorcycles and fashion are still talked about and emulated.
While one of the biggest box-office attractions of the 1960s and 1970s, McQueen has been reinvented since his 1980 death as much more than a movie star. In today's world, he is a silent pitchman, a fashion icon, an enduring mythical figure of alpha-male coolness, and his image and likeness are everywhere.

Steve McQueen owned many fast, exotic cars throughout his legendary life. But the publicity shy acting icon also appreciated well-worn pickup trucks for two reasons. The first was for their intrinsic, utilitarian capabilities. The second was for their use as stealth cover. McQueen often cruised around Hollywood and Beverly Hills in a beat-up truck, wearing sunglasses and a cowboy hat, flying beneath the radar of what we now call the paparazzi, chasing celebrities around to make a buck. He usually kept a truck at his home in the Trancas Canyon area of Malibu and had others at his Santa Paula airport hangar. It is rumored, that he even stashed an old GMC at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel parking garage. Among the many pickups he owned during the later years of his life, was this robust 3100 Series Chevrolet.

He was particularly fond of customizing his vehicles – no matter how pedestrian or unique – to make them truly his own. Third wife Barbara Minty McQueen recalls the instance when he purchased a pair of rectangular "blue dot" taillights (a particular favorite of hot rodders) at a swap meet and installed them on this truck. The Chevy was owned by the celebrity couple at the time of Steve McQueen's passing in November of 1980, and then remained in Ms. Minty McQueen's ownership and possession until sold by Bonhams to the consignor in November of 2009. Note that the last registration expired in 1981. It is in the same state as when last used and driven by the King of Cool and remains presented in unrestored condition, just like Steve drove it.

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