Steve McQueen buggy up for auction (2019)

M with the dunes that are now tame in photos -Buggy drifted actor Steve McQueen in the 1968 crime comedy 'Thomas Crown is Unbelievable' through the sandy beach of Massachusetts, Faye Dunaway acted as the brave co-driver. The beach car has been completely preserved and is now up for auction at the Bonhams auction house.

In 1968, the Meyers Manx Buggy based on the VW Beetle was still quite new - the Californian surfer Bruce Meyers had developed the fun car and had been selling it for four years Years. Compared to the rather static-looking original, the film buggy is visually significantly more dynamic: It has a low, pulpit-like windscreen, headlights sunk into the body, no roll bar and a powerful engine that protrudes far from the rear. Exactly the right thing for Steve McQueen, who died in 1980, after all, the American was an enthusiastic motor sportsman - in 1970, for example, with a bit of luck, he finished second in a Porsche 908/02 at the Sebring 12-hour race.

Bonhams

With a camera attached to the front of the buggy: Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen1968 while filming 'Thomas Crown is unbelievable.'

Heavily modified buggy

For the modifications to the film buggy, he won Pete Condos, one of the founders of the off-road outfitter Con-Ferr. Thanks to the fiberglass body and magnesium rims, the result was a 450 kilogram racer with a 230 hp engine from the Chevrolet Corvair in the rear. Steve McQueen was personally involved in the design, which made him proud. In the film, he drove the dune buggy without stuntDouble.

On March 5, 2020, Steve McQueen's film buggy will go under the hammer as part of the Amalia Island auction organized by Bonhams at Fernandina Beach Golf Club.