Exclusive account with Matt Stone, the columnist
of the accessible photo-book McQueen's Machines.
Featuring a Foreword by Chad McQueen. Due out November 2007.
Matt Stone is the controlling editor of both MotorTrend and
MotorTrend Classic magazines and has afresh authored a
photo-book (featuring 200 photographs) about the abounding cars
and bikes apprenticed by cine figure Steve McQueen, both on-screen and off.
In this absolute account Matt talks to McQueenOnline about
the abundant time he had researching the book, and what we can
expect to acquisition amid the covers of McQueen's Machines.
MO: What was your antecedent afflatus for autograph McQueen's Machines?
MS: Like so abounding of us, I grew up on Steve McQueen. I've been a car nut from birth, and was
just 10 years old aback Bullitt came out. My dad took me to see it, and of beforehand the impossibly
cool McQueen - and that now iconic hunt arena - fabricated an burning impression. Nothing could accept topped that,
at atomic until I saw Le Mans. Those bawl 917s and Ferrari 512s... Thus, the "McQueen and cars" affiliation
was fabricated for me aboriginal on. Fast advanced to 2000, aback publishing magnate, the backward Robert E. Petersen,
purchased the McQueen XK-SS. As controlling Editor of Motor Trend magazine, I capital to do an commodity
on the car. afterwards active this acclaimed Jag on Mulholland Drive, accomplished Steve McQueen's abode in the Hollywood
Hills, the abstraction started to incubate. By the time I did a allotment on McQueen's Ferrari Lusso, I knew I had to
do this project. addition aspect of the abstraction is how aghast I am at some of the absoluteness TV shows that
portray some B-level amateur or amateur as a austere car guy because he installs a set of 24-inch auto and
some big stereo speakers on his truck. Steve McQueen was a serious, Committed racer, bike rider, and car
collector. I acquainted it was account assuming bodies what a absolute Hollywood car guy was all about.
MO: How abounding cars and bikes are featured in the book?
MS: We affection the eight or so cars he was best associated with in abundant detail; several pages each.
Another dozen or so bulk abate mention. Others still, aloof parenthetical mention, including pieces we
just couldn't find, or didn't accept photos for. Bikes, conceivably a few dozen, afresh in capricious levels of detail.
Plus we awning 7 films that had cars or bikes in them as basal or above artifice elements. There's an absolute
chapter on his antagonism career, with addition bisected dozen cars involved. It was harder with the bikes, as he
ultimately endemic added than 200 in his life, and so abounding came and went with no annal of consecutive numbers or
any such documentation.
MO: I accept that you amid abounding of the cars, accumulating them, and attempt new photographs of them for
the book. How would you bulk the action of the cars that you tracked bottomward - I brainstorm there was a bit of
variation in how able-bodied they had been maintained and additionally conceivably adapted over time?
MS: best of the cars are in abundant shape. Chad owns two of his father's Porsches, the 1958 Porsche
Speedster 1600 Super, which was Steve's aboriginal new car, and the car he aboriginal went SCCA antagonism in; and a 1969
Porsche 911S that he bought new and has been in the ancestors anytime since. Both are in outstanding condition.
The XKSS is in cool shape. The Ferrari Lusso was adequate and apparent at Pebble Beach a few years ago. The
Mini hasn't run in decades and is tired, but absolutely original, including every modification McQueen fabricated
to it. We accept a admixture of new and Archival photographs, which appearance again and now. I don't accept anyone
other than Steve himself has apprenticed as abounding of his cars as I accept now - and let me say it's an alarming honor,
and a bit of albatross as well.
MO: Were any of the car's accepted owners blind of the cartage acclaimed ancestry?
MS: Every buyer I came beyond knew what they had, so I didn't abruptness any of them. I did, however,
have to breach the bad account to a few who anticipation or Claimed to accept a McQueen machine, but in absoluteness didn't.
MO: What abyss will the book go into? For instance I accept that Steve endemic armored cartage
and a Range Rover - will these array of abnormal and beneath alluring cartage additionally be covered?
MS: Yes, they are there, to the admeasurement we could acquisition advice and/or photos.
MO: You charge accept done an astronomic bulk of analysis to awning all these vehicles...
MS: Absolutely, but it was the accepted activity of love. It was like an archeological dig; one cartilage
leads to another. But anybody I dealt with was so helpful, so accommodating to allotment his or her cars, photos or
memories. best McQueen books or accessories acknowledgment that he did some antagonism or had a Porsche or admired cars or
rode motorcycles, but none of these volumes accept 200 photos of them. There's no abridged debris here. It's
just about the hardware. The photos came from all address of sources, and several accept never been appear
before. Neile Adams McQueen and Barbara Minty McQueen were additionally acceptable with their ancestors photo albums. I
cannot acknowledge these women abundant for pictures and memories about a guy who can still accomplish either of them cry.
Naturally, I apprehend a agglomeration of old material, watched movies, and talked to abounding association who were involved.
MO: It is broadly captivated that Steve's admired car was the Jag XKSS - would you say that this was true,
and (if so) why he advantaged the Jag?
MS: The SS was one of his favorites, for sure. He bought it, accumulating it, awash it, and bought it back.
I accept he admired it because it was fast, rare, and commodity special, alike aback then. He afflicted the blush
from eggshell white to British antagonism Green, as he admired his cars in darker and/or attenuate colors.
MO: Did you ascertain any new advice on the abstruse actual Bullitt Mustang?
MS: Not really. The Bullitt Mustang guys watch this aspect of McQueen's fable like hawks.
To my knowledge, it is still endemic by the association who've had it for some time. It is in a barn in the South,
locked away, in semi-decrepit but complete and aboriginal condition. They say they plan to accord it a automated
and accessory corrective restoration, but are abashed to do so because they don't appetite to be hounded. I can't anticipate
of a added admired Mustang in the world. By the way, Ford will bare a 2008 Bullitt-edition Mustang at
the Los Angeles Auto appearance in November.
MO: Do you accept any beforehand advice on the 2008 Bullitt Mustang?
MS: Ford hasn't appear any advice at all, although I've apparent a atramentous sketch. I accept it will be
offered in Highland Green Metallic alone (the '01 was additionally offered in aphotic dejected and black) and I anticipate it uses
a V-6 archetypal grille with no fog lights (to added carefully resemble the '68 cine car). I heard a rumor that
4000 will be built.
MO: Steve admired to aggregate and restore Indian motorcycles - what do you anticipate it was that drew
him to that accurate accomplish of bike?
MS: Motorcycle Able and announcer Marc Cook helped me with this chapter, and while it was bright
that he admired Indians, we could never actuate for a actuality why. He endemic several of them, rode them a lot,
and there were abounding Indian genitalia bikes in the acreage auction that was captivated afterwards he anesthetized away. allotment of it
was that he admired to own things that were different; anyone who has advised Steve McQueen knows he hardly ran
with the pack. So if anybody abroad rode Harleys, he alley Indians. aback others raced Hondas or Yamahas, he
raced Triumphs. I anticipate it was allotment of his make-up.
MO: I assumption you talked to a lot of Steve's old antagonism accompany and competitors in researching his antagonism days...?
MS: Some, yes. I decidedly enjoyed interviewing the allegorical Bud Ekins, who was his friend, motorcycle
muse, antagonism teammate, and achievement double. An amazing man, and a adventure aces of its own book. It was acceptable chatting
with Sir Stirling Moss as well, who was his assistant at Sebring in 1962, a bit of a antagonism mentor, and additionally a
friend. The two became acceptable mates.
MO: Did Steve do any added aggressive antagonism afterwards he fabricated Le Mans - or is the accepted concensus
that he chock-full antagonism at that time true?
MS: The filming of Le Mans soured him on motorsport. His alliance was advancing apart, the
production drained his assembly company, and alike aboriginal wife Neile accepted he was never absolutely the aforementioned
after that. To my knowledge, the "Sebring 12-hour race" in March, 1970 was his aftermost above antagonism endeavor,
as the producers did not let him chase in the "24 Hours of Le Mans" that year. Soon after, he began accession
vintage bikes, and bought old cars added for their appeal, design, or history than for their speed. He awash
off the Sebring Porsche 908 (which was acclimated as a camera car during the Le Mans race) and the Solar-owned #20
Porsche 917. He connected to do some clay bike racing, but that was about it. In a aberrant way, it's too
bad he was such a acknowledged actor, because due to his animated agenda during the 1960s and aboriginal 70s, he was
never Able to administer himself to antagonism with any consistency. We'll never absolutely apperceive how acceptable he could accept
become, but he absolutely had the aptitude to at atomic accomplish a career as a artisan sports car and ability
racing disciplinarian had that been the aisle he had chose.
MO: Chad McQueen has been complex in a Motor Trend commodity in the past, so I assumption it
seemed accustomed to ask him to address the Foreword to the book?
MS: No doubt. I could not, and would not, accept done this activity after his approval and support.
He and I aboriginal started talking about it aback I did a allotment on the Lusso. He said "That looks like commodity
dad would have. He aloof had the greatest aftertaste in cars." It was apparently the final accident that fabricated
something bang in my head, acknowledging that "McQueen as car and bike guy and racer" was the accountable of a
book that aloof had to be done.
MO: Was he (Chad) complex in allowance you with the book's analysis to any degree?
MS: In added means than I could accept hoped for. autograph the Foreword was alone a allotment of it. He opened doors,
provided names, arrested facts, Contributed photos, told stories, apprehend copy, fabricated corrections -- the accomplished bit.
He's become my acquaintance through this process, and I'll never be Able to acknowledge him abundant for his contributions.
Even admitting I'm listed as the columnist and wrote bottomward the words, I generally alarm it "our book" as he was such a huge
part of it. I alone ambition we had added pages...
MO: I've heard a rumor that the chrism of the crop of Steve's cartage are still in Chad's collection. Any accuracy to that, and if so what machines does Chad still have?
MS: The two Porsches I mentioned earlier, which are absolutely amid the best cogent of his father's cars, additional a scattering of motorcycles and a few old trucks. best of the blow of what McQueen endemic are in clandestine hands, with abounding accepting been awash and resold over time. McQueen's motorcycle muse, Bud Ekins, for example, best out a few best pieces at Steve's insistence, above-mentioned to his passing. The better accumulating of McQueen cars and bikes is at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. They accept the XK-SS, the Von Dutch-built Winton Flyer Replica from The Reivers, the dejected Rolls auto he accumulating in The Thomas Crown Affair, his affably aboriginal Hudson Wasp two-door, and the accepted buyer of his '57 Chevy Bel Air additionally food that car there. (Learn added at http://www.petersen.org)
MO: What was the best abrupt acquisition you fabricated while researching this book?
MS: A lot of association accept afield articular the Porsche 911S that Chad owns as the car acclimated in the
opening sequences of Le Mans. alike Chad wasn't sure. The accuracy is that Chad's car is a '69, and the
movie car is a '70. It's an accessible aberration to make, as both cars are the aforementioned archetypal and color, and aloof a year
apart. The absorbing thing, however, is that Solar Productions purchased the '70 for use in the film, and
for McQueen to drive while in Europe. So, he absolutely endemic both cars. The accepted buyer of the Le Mans
movie car has the aboriginal balance and several belletrist from Porsche anecdotic it as accepting been delivered to
McQueen in France aloof above-mentioned to filming. There is additionally affidavit as to aback it was alien to America,
and after sold. McQueen bought the '69S new and it has lived its absolute activity in Southern California.
He absolute it to Terry aloft his passing, and aback she died, it went to Chad. So, we've austere that up.
I've seen, photographed, and apprenticed both (I'm a 911 owner, so this was a absolute treat!) and they are aloof
mouth-watering machines.
MO: The funniest McQueen motoring story?
MS: Oh that's easy. McQueen was active his Mini Cooper S home one night, through the Hollywood Hills.
He bare to abate himself. It's dark, so he aloof pulled to the ancillary of the road, parked, and jumped out.
Unfortunately, he neither set the parking anchor nor affianced aboriginal gear. In the average of his attributes call,
he watched as the Mini formed by. I'll let you apprehend the blow of the adventure in the book...
One added thing, if I may mention. The McQueen ancestors and I Agreed that a allocation of the book's ability gain
will be donated anon from the administrator to the Boys Republic in Chino, California. McQueen lived and accomplished
there as a teenager, and fabricated abounding appearances there after in his life. The ancestors is still actual abundant complex
with this aces institution, and anyone who buys a archetype of this book is allowance out an accouterments that does a
lot of good, and meant a agglomeration to Steve McQueen.
MO: It's been abundant talking to you Matt.
MS: Thanks for listening, and for your absorption in McQueen's Machines.
