Steve McQueen passed away on November 7th, 1980, after a bout with cancer. He was 50 years of age. To many car fanatics, Steve McQueen was an absolute hero – dubbed “The King of Cool,” McQueen enjoyed a highly successful acting career throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, enticing audiences with such classic gas-fueled films as Bullitt, Le Mans, and The Great Escape, among others. In addition to his cool, laidback onscreen presence, McQueen was known as an incurable adrenaline junkie. Not only did he preform his own driving stunts at every opportunity, but he also had a surprisingly successful racing career, taking part in the British Touring Car Championship, various endurance racing events, and even off-road motorcycle racing. One famous story tells how McQueen managed to wheel his Porsche 908/02 to a class victory at the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring with his left foot in a cast from a motorcycle accident just a few weeks prior, missing the overall win by just 23 seconds. The only car that managed beat him that year was a Ferrari 512S driven by Mario Andretti, Ignazio Giunti, and Nino Vaccarella.

As you might imagine, as a famous actor and semi-pro racing driver, McQueen enjoyed quite the collection of fine automobiles. Such standouts include a 1963 Ferrari 250 Lusso Berlinetta, a Porsche 356 Speedster, the Porsche 908, Porsche 917, and Ferrari 512 from his film Le Mans, a Jaguar D-Type XKSS, a Ford GT40, and a 1962 Cobra, among others. A lover of all things with a motor, McQueen also owned and flew a variety of aircraft as well.

To celebrate this icon of the car world, we suggest settling into one of McQueen’s all-time great gasoline-fueled movies. Click past the jump for our list of favorites, and don’t forget to tell us your picks in the comments below!

Le Mans Continue reading to learn more about Steve McQueen’s iconic gas-fueled films.0

The Great Escape (1963)

Bullitt (1968)

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Le Mans (1971)

On Any Sunday (1971)

The Getaway (1972)

The Hunter (1980)

References

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