On stage and off, he was a car guy, bike guy, airplane guy, racer, and one cool dude.
Of all the cars that Steve McQueen owned, and he owned some incredible sports cars, the most iconic is the ’57 Jaguar XK-SS, top photo with his '45 Stearman, that was essentially a barely streetable version of the legendary D-Type racecar. It may not have been the most practical road car (convertible top had to be dropped to get access to the fuel filler), but aesthetically it was a work of art. And it was fast. He bought it used in 1958 and kept it for almost ten years.
Based on the Le Mans-winning D-type Jaguar, only 16 XK-SS models were built before February 12, 1957, when a fire at the Jaguar factory in Browns Lane, UK, destroyed the remaining D-types. One of these 16 “racecars-in-street clothes” roadsters found its way into the hands of Steve McQueen who enjoyed an on-and-off love affair with this special Jaguar up until he sold it in 1967.
On August 15, 2010, 12 of the 16 Jaguar XK-SS sports cars built, including the ex-Steve-McQueen SN#713 (D-Type chassis # 569), were reunited for a show and tour by Jaguar North America at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It was the largest gathering of XK-SS cars ever. Steve McQueen’s vintage 1945 #N3188 Boeing/Stearman B75N1 (S/N 75-2599) was on display at Monterey Airport at the same time. The N-number (3188) was his number while he was in reform school!
For more about Steve McQueen, above, his life and his cars, please visit,
http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/steve-mcqueens-mean-machines-the-1957-jaguar-xk-ss-green-rat/#more-24964
Also check out Matt Stone’s wonderful book (Foreword by Chad McQueen), McQUEEN’S MACHINES The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon (Motorbooks):
http://www.amazon.com/McQueens-Machines-Cars-Bikes-Hollywood/dp/0760328668