1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso

May 2007
By Tom Madigan, Matt Stone
Photography by Evan Klein


As one of Hollywood's original--and most legitimate--car guys, Steve McQueen needs no introduction. But in case you've forgotten, his movies often involved cars and motorcycles, and he drove and rode in many of his own stunts. He was the epicenter of the most iconic car-chase ever filmed ("Bullitt," 1968), and he was committed to creating the best racing movie ever filmed ("Le Mans," 1971)--and arguably pulled that off, too. He also had fabulous taste in cars.

McQueen's first acting dollars, earned in the 1950s, bought him an MG. He soon graduated to Porsches. A Siata 208S. One of the 16 1957 Jaguar XK-SSs built. A 289 Cobra. He owned at least one of the Mustangs that appeared in "Bullitt," plus the Porsche 917 and that gorgeous, gray 1969 911S he drove in "Le Mans." Over the years, there were farm trucks, a Hudson Hornet, a Winton Flyer, an old Packard, numerous airplanes, and too many motorcycles to count. And there were Ferraris. Including this 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, his first.

As a precursor to Steve's 34th birthday, which would take place March 24, 1964, his wife Neile bought a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso, serial number 4891, from Otto Zipper Motors in Santa Monica, California, via Luigi Chinetti in New York. Chinetti was the North American importer of Ferraris. The car was ordered in a medium-brown metallic hue called Marrone, with a beige interior--an odd, yet elegant, color combination, as Lussos are so often seen in red, silver, or black. According to Mrs. McQueen, the car was delivered to their Hollywood Hills home to join the aforementioned Jaguar XK-SS, a black Porsche Speedster, a Cadillac, her Porsche 911, and the ever-present bikes.

The Lusso quickly became a favorite for high-speed road trips. Noted pop-culture photographer William Claxton, former Motor Trend art director and a close friend of Steve's, relates a trip taken a week or so after the McQueens got the car. According to Claxton, Steve and Neile invited Claxton and his wife Peggy for a getaway. Their route took them from Los Angeles to Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey, then through San Francisco, Reno, Lake Tahoe, Death Valley, and back to Southern California.

Says Claxton: "We would set a place to meet for lunch and then take off, Steve in the Lusso and me in my Porsche 356 SC 1600. Steve's idea of fun was to go roaring off and, a couple hours later, be parked at the side of the road pretending to be bored waiting for us to arrive. It was a great time. He really loved that car."