The screen icon was the first owner of the 1967 Ferrari 275
GTB/4 after he took delivery while on the set of Bullitt.
King of Cool McQueen was a huge fan of the coupe, which is
regarded by many as one of the ultimate Ferraris, and held on to it until 1971.
He had the original silver car re-sprayed to red and fitted
the wheels from his Ferrari NART Spyder, which he had previously crashed.
But a later owner decided to spend $10,000 controversially
having it transformed from a coupe (Berlinetta) into a convertible (Spyder).
The result was a stunning conversion - but the Ferrari had
lost the McQueen factor. It was later resprayed yellow and then silver before
it was bought in 2011 by Australian racing star Vern Schuppan.
Mr Schuppan, a McQueen fan who won Le Mans in 1983, decided
to 'bite the Bullitt' and have the car returned to the identical condition as
when his Hollywood hero owned it.
He handed the car over to Ferrari and its Classiche
department which certifies, restores and repairs special cars from the Italian
marque.
Ferrari jumped at the chance to work on the McQueen 275
GTB/4, describing it as "one of the more interesting cars ever to leave
the factory".
They reproduced the roof and buttresses with hand-beaten
steel panels, before respraying the car from silver to the dark red which The
Great Escape star had opted for.
Incredibly, the original rear deck, rear glass and chrome
surround, internal rear pillars and other related pieces were reunited
following its 1970s roof removal.
Restored but back to Steve McQueen's personal spec
Marco Arrighi, director of Ferrari Classiche, said:
"Ferrari Classiche's ethos is to assist clients and collectors in ensuring
that their car accurately reflects how it was when it left the factory.
As only ten NART Spiders were ever built, as you can
imagine, over the years a number of coupes have been converted into replicas,
so the client's decision to restore the car to its original configuration was
one we welcomed with open arms."
After commissioning the restoration and making various trips
back and forth from the factory, Vern was delighted with the results and loaned
the Ferrari to its museum at the factory in Maranello, Italy.
He said: "I have always wanted a Ferrari 275 GTB/4 and
the McQueen ownership of this one certainly added to the appeal.
"Aesthetically I think it is one of the most beautiful
Ferraris. "In my opinion, the decision to convert it back was a no
brainer, I don't think any car from the 1960s was quite as beautifully done as
it.
"The finished conversion is outstanding and I couldn't
praise the Ferrari Classiche centre more."
Under the bonnet of the Ferrari 275 GTB/4 is a 3.3-litre V12
engine which develops 300bhp.
This gives the sleek sports car a 0-60mph time of around 6.5
seconds and a top speed of more than 160mph.
A Ferrari 275 GTB/4 with a Classiche certificate is
typically worth around £1 to £1.5 million, but a world record £1.9 million was
paid for a model at auction earlier this month. But adding the Steve McQueen
factor helps sends values soaring.
In 2011, the racing overall worn by McQueen in the 1971 film
Le Mans sold for more than £600,000 at auction.
During the same year a Porsche 911 once owned by film star
sold for £830,000 - more than 12 times its typical value.
But Vern, an Adelaide-based Aussie who spends a lot of time
in the UK, is more than happy that Ferrari has seen fit to put the car on show
in the new wing of Ferraris Museum which was recently inaugurated by Luca di
Montezemolo where it currently resides today.
He added: "At the moment it is in the Ferrari Museum
and I am happy to leave it there."
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