VINTAGE: Another McQueen-Owned Ferrari
A 275 GTB4 undergoing restoration is certified as once belonging to the late King of Cool, which boosts the car?s value exponentially.
The magical name of Steve McQueen is being applied to yet another very-special car, a Ferrari 275 GTB4 coupe that was recently certified as having once belonged to the King of Cool himself.The mid-60s Ferrari is currently in the hands of the Ferrari Classiche Department, the Maranello automaker?s official certification and restoration facility, which is restoring the car for its unidentified owner. That includes undoing an unfortunate 1980s convertible conversion by returning it to its original coupe form with a new roof.
According to the recent Sports Car Market price guide, a 1966-68 275 GTB4 is valued between $900,000 and $1.5 million, but with the rapidly raising values of Ferraris and the ironclad McQueen connection, the sky may not be the limit on this one once it?s restored.
Cars, motorcycles and just about anything else with a solid connection to the late actor have climbed to incredible heights, the McQueen aura enhancing their values exponentially.
Last year, the collector-car world was stunned by the August sale in Monterey of the 1970 Porsche 911S owned by McQueen and driven in the opening sequences of the film Le Mans. The Porsche sold for a remarkable $1.37 million, including auction fee, for a car that normally would have an auction value of about $55,000.
That was followed by the sale a few months later of the racing suit worn by McQueen in Le Mans, which sold for an unfathomable $990,000.
The McQueen mystique is nothing new, of course. In 2007, his Ferrari Lusso went for double the auction pre-estimate when it sold for $2.3 million.
Recent Ferrari sales have also spiked, such as the private purchase of the ex-Stirling Moss race team 250 GTO that last month became the most expensive car in known history when it sold for $35 million.
Also in Montery last August, a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa became the highest-selling car ever at auction when it went for $16.39 million.
So take a highly desirable Ferrari 275 GTB4 done over to perfection by Ferrari?s official restoration shop and once owned by Steve McQueen, and you just might break the bank.
Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at
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