Steve McQueen, also known as the King of Cool, was part of many successful movies, one of which was the 1971 Le Mans film directed by Lee H. Katzin. One of the awesome cars that were used as props for the movie will soon be sold at a Race Retro & Classic Car Sale by Silversone Auctions. It is a 1969 Lola Lola T70 MkIII B, and it is expected to go for as much as $1 million.
More exactly, on February 3, bidders are expected to offer between £550,000 and £650,000 for the car. This is one of the three units used on the set, and it was designed to resemble a Gulf-Porsche 917, because it ‘acted’ as a double for a real Porsche, where the car was supposed to crash into the barriers. After the spectacular scene, the wreckage was bought by Roger Bolton, who had the car rebuilt and then painted red. He used the vehicle for just a few years before placing it in storage in 1975.
It was only in 1994 that the MkIII B was bought by a renowned Lola T70 historian, named John Starkey. He restored the vehicle, turned it into a racer again, and sold it to Lola Cars owner Martin Birrane. Since then the car has participated in many competitions – including the 2004 and 2006 LeMans Classic – driven by Birrane and his next owner. Now the racer is waiting for a new owner to start a fresh chapter in its existence.
