Steve McQueen's Ferraris | FerrariChat

Steve McQueen's Ferraris

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by GTE, Jun 10, 2006.

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  1. GTE

    GTE F1 World Champ

    Jun 24, 2004
    10,117
    The Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Marnix
    Hi all,

    this is what I got so far on Steve McQueen's Ferrari's:

    275 GTS/4 NART Spyder s/n 10453, currently owned by Brandon Wang
    250 GT Lusso, s/n ???, currently owned by Michael Regalia
    365 GTS/4 NART Spyder Michelotti, s/n ???, currently owned by ???

    Who can fill in the blancs and add some (contemporary) pictures and other type of information that might be interesting on the subject?

    Did Steve own other Ferrari's?
     
  2. DavkeG

    DavkeG Formula Junior

    Jul 3, 2004
    719
    Belgium
    Full Name:
    Dave G.
  3. Anteriore

    Anteriore Formula Junior

    Jan 4, 2004
    863
    Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Ramon
  4. 375+

    375+ F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 28, 2005
    11,880
    This car was purchased from Luigi Chinetti on the floor of the NY Auto show in 1976(or so) by Alan Frank, of Pittsburgh, PA. Frank owned the car until 1999 or 2000 and sold it via Symbolic to (I believe) Jon Shirley.
    According to Dick Fritz(ex-Chinetti), it was one of two wrecked Daytona coupes that Chinetti had rebodied in Italy, and it was never actually owned by McQueen. Whether he owned the car in its original form as a coupe I do not know, it was sold as a new car by Modern Classic Motors in Reno, NV. At any rate, Chinetti always identified the car as being constructed for Steve McQueen, it might have been a bit of salesmanship on his part.
    The car had a reconstructed title and a plate in the engine compartment stating that it was a reconstructed vehicle. It was a Michelotti design done late in his career, clearly not one of his best.

    Bruce Perrone
     
  5. Mark Shannon

    Mark Shannon Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 28, 2003
    1,197
    Surrey, UK
    Does not the NART Spyder now belong to Anthony Wang, not Brandon.

    Mark Shannon
     
  6. dretceterini

    dretceterini F1 Veteran

    Apr 28, 2004
    7,289
    Etceterini Land
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    Dr.Stuart Schaller
    I'm sure it's an urban legand, but I have heard for years a story about McQueen purchasing a 275GTB at Hollywood Sports Cars, crashing it a few blocks away, and going back and buying another one!
     
  7. Mark Shannon

    Mark Shannon Formula 3
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    Dec 28, 2003
    1,197
    Surrey, UK
    275 GTB/4 #10621 was alleged to have been owned new by McQueen. I have never seen any evidence of this.

    Mark Shannon
     
  8. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
    Staff Member Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Aug 1, 2002
    18,043
    San Marino, CA
    Full Name:
    L. Wayne Ausbrooks
    The Lusso was chassis #4891.
     
  9. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary

    Mar 2, 2005
    22,737
    The Michelotti Daytona Spider which at one time was owned by Jon Shirley is S/N 14299 and not 14897. Completely different body.
    The Michelotti Daytona NART Spider #14897 ex-Alan I. W. Frank of Pittsburgh/PA went to Symbolic in August 1998 and is owned since many years by a collector in Asia but stored on the U.S. east coast. 14897 is the ex-Steve McQueen car.
    Marcel Massini
     
  10. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary

    Mar 2, 2005
    22,737
    It is ANTHONY W. WANG and not Brandon Wang. No relation at all.
    Anthony W. Wang is of Computer Associates.
    Brandon Wang is of DSG Holdings (Disposable Soft Goods Holdings), also known as pampers.
    10453 went in 1986 through Grand Prix SSR to Anthony W. Wang in Ronkonkoma/NY. It has flared fenders, rear spoiler and outside fuel filler cap.
    Marcel Massini
     
  11. 375+

    375+ F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 28, 2005
    11,880
    Thanks for the clarification, Marcel. I recall seeing the car when Frank owned it on the street in Pittsburgh. It looked like a TVR with Borrani wheels. UGH!

    BP
     
  12. GTE

    GTE F1 World Champ

    Jun 24, 2004
    10,117
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    Full Name:
    Marnix
    I always get those two mixed up.

    Thanks for the information guys.

    Any pics on s/n 10453??
     
  13. Motob

    Motob Formula 3
    Professional Ferrari Technician

    Nov 11, 2003
    2,238
    Frederick, Maryland
    Full Name:
    Brian Brown
    One of our customers had a yellow 275GTB/4 Nart replica (cut car) that was supposedly a McQueen car. The story was that McQueen wrecked the original NART, wanted a new one, but Ferrari would not make any more. So he had a standard 275GTB/4 cut into a NART.
    Is there any truth to this. The car was sold to someone in the UK about 3 years ago.
    I checked and it was 10621.

    Brian Brown
    Patrick Ottis Co.
     
  14. dretceterini

    dretceterini F1 Veteran

    Apr 28, 2004
    7,289
    Etceterini Land
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    Dr.Stuart Schaller

    Than the "urban legand" might actually be true? Is it actually possible That McQueen bought a 275 NART, crashed it, can't get another one, then buys a 275GTB/4 and cuts the roof off...
     
  15. GTE

    GTE F1 World Champ

    Jun 24, 2004
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    Marnix
    So that would mean he wrecked 10453 shortly after he got it, then got 10621 and converted that to a NART Spyder? Well, McQueen wrecking a car doesn't seem intirely impossible.

    Barchetta.cc has 10621 as a red car with black interior. No mention of a respray, but indeed as a spyder conversion.

    Is there any known history of (serieus) damage on 10453?
     
  16. GTE

    GTE F1 World Champ

    Jun 24, 2004
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    Marnix
  17. henk4

    henk4 Formula Junior

    Mar 13, 2006
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    Holland
    Full Name:
    Pieter Melissen
    we have a very pro-active government
     
  18. RED GTS

    RED GTS Formula Junior

    Jun 14, 2004
    578
    Full Name:
    Gungnir
    I think I saw his Lusso at the peterson museum a couple of months ago.
     
  19. italcarguy

    italcarguy Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2003
    505
    Porter Ranch, CA
    Full Name:
    Anthony Rimicci
  20. GTE

    GTE F1 World Champ

    Jun 24, 2004
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    Full Name:
    Marnix
    Thanks a lot Anthony.

    Great pictures. Such a beautiful car. Love the color.
     
  21. malcolmb

    malcolmb Formula 3
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    Apr 17, 2002
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    Malcolm Barksdale
    #21 malcolmb, Jun 12, 2006
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  22. Mark Shannon

    Mark Shannon Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 28, 2003
    1,197
    Surrey, UK
    This car was converted to spyder by Straman for Bob Panella, the then owner, in 1980/81. I have seen the bill for this work. He also painted it yellow and trimmed it in brown leather.

    Since coming to the UK the car has been changed to silver with a red interior.

    Mark Shannon
     
  23. GTE

    GTE F1 World Champ

    Jun 24, 2004
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    Marnix
    great stuff Malcolm! Thanks for posting.

    Are there really no pictures known of #10453?
     
  24. Tony Miller

    Tony Miller Rookie

    Jan 27, 2006
    12
    Anton Krivanek (also on this board) and I drove past a gas station in Pacific Palisades back when, and glimpsed what appeared to be a wrecked dark blue NART in the station. As we had never seen even an intact one before, we went around the block to look at it.

    We were told that it was McQueen's car, that he had taken possession of it the previous day, and had taken it for a ride up Pacific Coast Highway. Returning to the Palisades, he stopped for a traffic light and was hit from behind by a truck, jamming the Ferrari forward into another car. It had been hit so hard that both doors were buckled outward -- there wasn't an undamaged panel on the car.

    About three years later, we saw the car perfectly restored at the Vista Del Mar Concours. It had been painted by Junior Conway, and the repairs were absolutely undetectable. It was perfect.
     
  25. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary

    Mar 2, 2005
    22,737
    Chassis #10453
    Scaglietti Steel Body #0202
    Original color dark blue (blu sera 106-A-18) with black interior (nero 8500)
    Factory invoice shows a surcharge for modification from a Berlinetta into a Spider. Sold new November 1967 through Hollywood Sports Cars to first owner and movie star Steve McQueen. He had already driven the first NART Spider built (#09437) in the movie "The Thomas Crown Affair". McQueen had 10453 repainted darkblue by Junior Conway's House of Color in Bell Gardens/CA, USA, and the interior was redone by Tony Nancy. Soon after the paint job McQueen's car was hit from behind by a truck, while being on Pacific Coast Highway. It then went back to Junior's for a repaint. McQueen had Junior raise the rear spoiler and flare the fenders and also fitted with an outside fuel filler cap. The car was then shown at the Vista del Mar Concours d’Elégance. In 1971 chassis# 10453 was sold to David Kopf of Tujunga/CA/USA and registered on plates "ZSW 815". In 1986 Kopf sold it through Grand Prix SSR of Long Island to Anthony W. Wang of New York City and Ronkonkoma/NY, registration on plates "NEP 630". September 29, 1996, shown at the Ferrari at Louis Vuitton Classic at the Rockefeller Center, New York/NY. 2006 still owned by Wang.
    Marcel Massini
     

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