Steve McQueen’s iconic 1970 Porsche 917K from ‘Le Mans’ set to fetch $18.5M in auction

The 1970 Porsche 917K driven by Steve McQueen in the classic film ‘Le Mans’ will be put up for auction next month – and could fetch more than $18million.

Expected to become the most expensive Porsche ever, it is one of racing’s most illustrious car having competed in the grueling race and starred with McQueen in the movie. 

McQueen even drove it while crossing the finishing line in the winning shot

The 1970 Porsche 917K that crossed the finish line in Steve McQueen’s ‘Le Mans’ is set to fetch more than $18M at auction next month

McQueen, seen above, used several Porsches during the classic film

After being damaged in a crash and remodeled as a 917 Spyder, the car has been restored to its former glory  

If sold for $18.5 million, the car would be not only the most expensive Porsche ever sold in the world, beating out another McQueen ‘Le Mans’ Porsche sold for $14 million in 2017

The sports car represents the culmination of Porsche’s engineering at the time as the company sought to take its first victory at the 1970 race, according to the auction’s site. 

The 917 was one of Porsche’s most successful race cars, dominating European sports-car racing and the North American Can-Am Series, according to Motor Authority. 

The car was driven by David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood, who were able to secure third place after the first four hours of the race until Hailwood refused a pit stop when heavy rain hit the course. 

Hailwood eventually lost control of the vehicle during the 49th lap and slid into another car. The Porsche suffered only light damage, but it was enough to take it out of the race.   

The sports car, however, was center stage in the film as it led McQueen to victory, immortalizing the vehicle in the eyes of moviegoers. 

Steve McQueen was only 50 when he died

McQueen died from a heart attack in 1980, in Juarez, Mexico.   

After the race and film, the sports car was rebuilt into a 917 Spyder at the Porsche factory and was raced for years until it was eventually bought by the late Michael Amalfitano in 1987. 

The Porsche collector from Florida restored the car to its classic form and raced it at Porsche’s 50th Anniversary races in 1998 and the Rennsport Reunion III at Daytona in 2007. 

After Amalfitano’s death in 2009, the car was further restored and it’s Spyder bodywork accompanies it as a modification piece. 

The car will be up for auction and on display from Aug. 13 to 14. 

This is not the only McQueen ‘Le Mans’ car to be up for sale. Another Porsche was sold for $14 million at a California auction in 2017. 

In early 2020, McQueen’s iconic 1968 Bullitt Mustang sold for $3.7 million at the Mecum Kissimmee 2020 auction, and stands as the second-most expensive Ford Mustang sold in the world.

The green Mustang made famous in the 1968 movie ‘Bullitt’ starring Steve McQueen sold for $3.7 million