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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Steve McQueen’s car legacy spans personally owned road cars and racers, cars he drove in films, and a purpose-built movie replica. This curated selection of 11 vehicles shows both sides of that story; it is not a complete inventory of every car he owned. The distinction matters most for the famous Mustang from Bullitt and the Porsche used in Le Mans: both are film cars, not McQueen’s personal cars.
Which cars did Steve McQueen own—and which were film cars?
The list below includes personal cars, competition cars, one film car and one replica. The ownership distinction is supported most directly for some entries by museum or auction-house records; many of the other stories are reported by Classic & Sports Car’s feature on McQueen’s cars. Treat its anecdotes and reported later histories as that feature’s account, not as a live check of present ownership or condition.
| Vehicle | Connection to McQueen | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 Mini Cooper S | Reportedly bought new and customized by McQueen | Personal road car |
| 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 | Driven on screen in Bullitt; McQueen tried to buy one after filming | Film car, not his personal car |
| 1905 Winton Flyer replica | Built for The Reivers | Film replica, not an original Winton |
| 1958 Porsche 1600 Super Speedster | Reported as McQueen’s first new car and early race winner | Personal road and competition car |
| 1959 Lotus Eleven | Associated with his development as a racer | Competition car |
| 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta | Ordered by McQueen and Neile Adams; used personally | Personal road car |
| 1956 Jaguar XKSS | McQueen’s “Green Rat,” later in the Petersen Automotive Museum collection | Personal road car |
| 1970 Porsche 911S | Supplied to Solar Productions for Le Mans | Film car, distinct from McQueen’s similar 1969 911S |
| 1951 Hudson Wasp | Reported as a car McQueen owned and used for Sunday drives | Personal road car |
| 1969 Porsche 908 Spyder | Reportedly owned and raced by McQueen; also used for filming | Competition and camera car |
| 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Coupé | Reportedly owned by McQueen and later restored to his preferred configuration | Personal road car |
Personal road cars and the cars he took racing
1967 Mini Cooper S
Classic & Sports Car reports that McQueen bought this Mini new and had mechanic Lee Brown customize it. The changes included a wooden dashboard, concealed aerial, reversed wheels, sunroof and a single foglamp. The feature says the car survives in Southern California, but reported that it had not run for decades when the article was written. No current condition report is established here, so that should not be read as its present status.
1958 Porsche 1600 Super Speedster
Classic & Sports Car calls the Speedster McQueen’s first new car and says he won his first race with it during an SCCA weekend in Santa Barbara in May 1959. The feature reports that he bought the Porsche back in 1974 and that it passed to his son Chad after McQueen’s death. Those ownership details come from the feature rather than a separately established primary ownership record.
#1 Best Overall
1959 Lotus Eleven
The Lotus marked a step forward in McQueen’s early racing. Classic & Sports Car recounts that he finished second in one race at his first Santa Barbara outing in 1959, then spun out in the main event. The feature reproduces McQueen’s reflection: “In that Lotus I really started to become competitive,” he said. “I was smoother, more relaxed; the rough edges had been knocked off. I was beginning to find out what real racing was all about.”
1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta
This is one of the best-documented personal cars in the selection. Christie’s lot record says Steve McQueen and Neile Adams ordered the Lusso through Otto Zipper, with documentation including an order to Luigi Chinetti naming McQueen as purchaser. Its 2007 sale release describes metallic marrone paint and beige leather, and says McQueen used it for road trips and visits to Riverside before parting with it. The release announced a sale at Monterey on August 16, 2007; that is historical auction context, not a current valuation.
Rank #2
Christie’s Vice President and Head of Car Sales in the Americas, Christopher Sanger, described it in the release as McQueen’s “personal run around – not a film one-off extra – but a car used for the grocery run, as well as trips to the racetrack.” Christie’s says restorer Michael Regalia acquired the car in 1997.
1956 Jaguar XKSS, “The Green Rat”
The Petersen Automotive Museum’s vehicle record traces the example’s changes and ownership history: it was originally white with a red interior, then McQueen had it painted green and retrimmed in black. The museum says he sold it to Bill Harrah after deciding it was too rare to race, later reacquired it and kept it until his death in 1980. The Petersen lists the car in its collection.
Rank #3
The XKSS was a road-going version of Jaguar’s D-Type. The museum lists 16 examples produced in 1956–1957 and specifies a 3.4-liter XK6 inline-six, 250 bhp and a 150 mph top speed. Those figures are the museum’s listed specifications, not independent performance-test results.
1951 Hudson Wasp
Classic & Sports Car reports that McQueen owned a Wasp coupe. His third wife, Barbara, called it his “‘Sunday go to church’ car.” The feature says it was sold at the 1984 McQueen wagon sale and joined his XKSS at the Petersen Museum in 2006; those details are the feature’s account rather than separately established museum records.
1969 Porsche 908 Spyder
Classic & Sports Car describes the 908 as a car McQueen owned and raced. The feature says he shared it with Peter Revson in the 1970 Sebring 12 Hours, then used it as a camera car to film footage for Le Mans. It reports that the car is privately owned and restored to its 1970 Sebring specification. A primary registry confirming current ownership or condition is not established here.
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Coupé
Classic & Sports Car reports that McQueen owned this alloy-bodied Ferrari. It was later converted to a spider, then restored to the configuration in which McQueen had owned it. The feature credits Ferrari Classiche with the restoration and says McQueen had specified red paint rather than the car’s original brown. Those restoration details are attributed to the feature; a primary Ferrari Classiche record is not established here.
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Cars that made their mark on screen
1968 Ford Mustang GT390 from Bullitt
The Mustang chase is among the best-known images of McQueen on screen, but neither of the two Mustangs used in Bullitt was his. Classic & Sports Car says McQueen tried to buy one after filming and never owned either. Its feature reported that both cars later came to light: the stunt car was being restored, while the other was complete and running. These are the feature’s reported statuses, not a current condition check.
1905 Winton Flyer replica from The Reivers
This was a replica built for filming, not an original 1905 Winton. Classic & Sports Car says artist and builder Von Dutch made it for The Reivers because an original car could not withstand the demands of production. The feature quotes McQueen describing the material as “old aluminum furnace sidings.” It says the replica was later sold and bought back, and that the Petersen Automotive Museum now owns it.
1970 Porsche 911S from Le Mans
McQueen was associated with two similar 911S cars, and their years and roles are easy to confuse. The RM Sotheby’s catalog identifies this Slate Gray 1970 car as delivered to Solar Productions for Le Mans, used by McQueen and the crew, invoiced on June 1, 1970, and shipped to Los Angeles after filming. The catalog distinguishes it from McQueen’s personal 1969 911S. Classic & Sports Car says McQueen ultimately sold the film car.
What the selection says about McQueen’s car legacy
The cars fall into distinct roles: everyday road transport, machines that shaped McQueen’s racing, and vehicles tied to film production. The Lusso and XKSS have particularly clear institutional or auction-house documentation in the sources linked above; the 911S catalog establishes its production connection. Several other ownership stories and later histories rest on Classic & Sports Car’s feature, so the list is a curated view, not an exhaustive or uniformly documented collection.
The XKSS also has a later chapter in Jaguar’s own history. In 2016, Jaguar Classic announced nine XKSS continuation cars, saying deliveries would begin in 2017 and that all nine had sold for prices above £1 million at the time. Those are historical program details, not an indication of current availability or pricing. Jaguar Classic Engineering Manager Kev Riches said then that the company was committed to making the “new original” version faithful to the period car; that was the manufacturer’s statement about its own program.
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