A 1951 Chevrolet Styleline that was once owned by film star and collecting king Steve McQueen has sold as part of Auctions America's Fort Lauderdale sale on March 23.
 McQueen's character in the film was a terrible driver, a characteristic the actor would find difficult to portray |
Hagerty Insurance places the value of this model in top condition at $59,000, yet the example at auction sold for $84,000 (without buyer's premium), displaying the power of its celebrity provenance. Steve McQueen was one of the top car collectors of all time, once quoted as saying: "Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting."
Cars from the actor's collections regularly see strong results when they appear at auction, such as the Ford GT40 used in McQueen's 1971 racing film Le Mans, which sold for $11m at 2012's Monterey sales to become the world's most valuable US car.
The Styleline was featured in 1980 film The Hunter, McQueen's last film before his death that year. McQueen apparently fell in love with the Chevrolet during filming, so much so that he purchased it immediately afterwards.
It was then sold in 1984, before ending up in the collection of Rick Harrison from the TV show Pawn Stars. As the auction house states, Harrison is "renowned for his attention to detail in determining the origin and background of his investments", and obviously recognised the Chevrolet's potential.
The car was accompanied in the sale by the original certificate of authenticity, which declares that it was owned by McQueen and purchased at the auction of his estate in Las Vegas in 1984.
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