Will Steve McQueen’s “Le Mans” racing suit set a new lap record?

Interest in American actor Steve McQueen has never waned, even more than 30 years after his death. This legendary car guy’s films and possessions are always in demand. After all, his 1970 Porsche 911 S fetched $1.25 million this summer, and his 1974 Husqvarna 400 Cross brought close to $150,000 a few months before that.

So it’s with no small interest that we’ll follow the sale of this racing suit from Le Mans, the one that he wore as race driver Michael Delaney in the same 1971 Solar Productions film in which that 911 appeared, to see what it brings as it’s offered during the “Icons of Hollywood” auction hosted by Profiles in History.

Image of Steve McQueen in Le Mans, copyright Solar Productions 1971

The two-piece racing suit features pants and a zipper – and velcro-closure jacket, which is embroidered with the character’s name and includes the famous Gulf Oil livery stripes, sponsor patches from Heuer Chronograph, Firestone and Hinchman Nomex and the United States flag.

Profiles in History describes its history:

When principal filming of Le Mans was completed, Solar Productions donated this suit to the British newspaper, The Observer, for a special Le Mans-themed contest in 1971. By answering three Le Mans history questions correctly, 12-year-old Timothy Davies of Wolverhampton, England, was chosen as the winner and presented with the suit by racing driver Richard “Dickie” Attwood, winner of the 1970 Le Mans race and driver of the Porsche 917K Gulf car during driving sequences in the film. Filmed on location in Le Mans, France, the film’s spellbinding cinematography provides a thrilling glimpse of the sights and sounds of Porsche 917s and Ferrari 512s, locked in fierce competition for outright victory. It featured footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and remains popular with racing enthusiasts today as it accurately depicted the era with lots of racing and minimal dialogue. The film featured numerous top-level racing drivers of the day for the driving sequences including Derek Bell, Vic Elford, Jacky Ickx, Brian Redman, Jo Siffert and many others. The suit is in excellent condition and without question, one of the pinnacles of motorsport memorabilia and the Holy Grail of racing film costumes.

The memorabilia dealer suggests that the McQueen Le Mans suit will bring between $200,000 and $300,000, but judging by the recent RM sale, we think there’s a chance it may handily surpass that figure.

The auction will take place December 15-17 at The Paley Center for Media in Beverley Hills, California.