Steve Mcqueen

[Chris Haynes]

[QUOTE=Chris in Japan;83448]I picked some more from the internet for your commemoration.



The second guy from the left is Bud Ekins.

[c.o.]

There's some cool stories coming out of this.....



A seperate thread should probably be started about Von Dutch but that story about the footprints reminds me of what a character he was...... I recall something about a 1%er from a famous club started in California that was pestering Kenny to do some work on his sickle frame. If I remember right Von Dutch wasn't interested in doing the job but finally conceded after some incessant pestering. He took the frame and then proceeded to cut it into little even pieces and gave it back. Do you know about this one Chris? If it's true the man had certainly had some big cajones!

[jurassic]

heres steve with red wolverton ,and sammy pierce

[jurassic]

alot of these pics were taken by barbara mcqueen ,and published in her book ,the last mile.definatly worth owning.

[RichO]

First photo

That first photo with Red Wolverton at Steve's right (without his duffer cap) and the later photo with the cap and jacket were taken at the only time the CAMA meet was held at Reedly. CA. Steve had Red flown out for it. Sammy Pierce, Bud Ekins, the whole gang was there. Unfortunely Steve passed not to long after as did Red. Legends!

[c.o.]

Again... Lonnie thanks for getting this going. I'm going to have to pick up a copy of The Last Mile.....

[Paquette]

This is the absolute best posting I have ever seen on this website!!!! Chris, please O please tell us more!!!!--Michael--6671

[Chris Haynes]

Shortly before Von Dutch passed I visited him. He was living in Danny Brucker's huge old fruit packing plant in Santa Paula.
Note that Steve Mc Queen also used Santa Paula as a hide out. He had a hanger at the airport filled with his old bikes. The hanger had a bedroom and Steve often stayed there. He even had Sammy Pierce on payroll restoring bikes for him.
Anyway Dutch was supposedly making a knife for me, which I never got. Dutch was fighting a losing battle with cancer at the time. He had just finished painting his latest car. It was a Volkswagen model 181 called the Thing in the USA and the Safari in the rest of the world. Its paint color was divided right down the middle with (I think) the right side being black and the left side orange. Dutch loved orange but only had enough paint for half the car. Every part of the was hand lettered with the title of the part. Headlamp, turn signal, left fender, left door, rear view mirror , ETC., ETC., ETC. When I asked Dutch why he went into a typical Von Dutch rant. "It's the God Damn Government." "Everything has to be named. Warnings on everything. If ya look on a pack of razor blades it says WARNING, Contents are sharp! What the hell do you expect them to be?" This was typical Dutch behavior. All in Dutch's version of fun.

[gary.h]

awsome thread guys i love it thanxs

[Scott Parker]

Thanks Chris for the cool stories ! I believe that is McQueen's Indian Sidecar rig in the backround of the Ace Photo. Wasn't Steve Wright also McQueens mechanic/restorer ? My Grandpa was selling a bike to McQueen in the late 60's and he made sure I was there to meet the famous actor, but only his mechanic came to pay for the bike....I remember the disappointment of that day.

[Chris Haynes]

I had a friend named Joe McCormick who maintained Steves fleet at his home. This being in the late '60's and early '70's. He would take the vehicles out for service and run errands for the family. Imagine hopping into Steve McQueens Porsche for a run up PCH to Malibu. To Joe it was a dream job. Steve was very much into dirt bikes at this time. So when Steve got home from riding Joe would take his truck and bikes to the car wash and make everything clean again.

[exeric]

I remember reading my girlfriend's "woman" magazine (Cosmo, McCalls, one of those) that had an interview with Ali McGraw who was then married to Steve McQueen. She mentioned that there was no room in their huge garage for her car because it was filled with Steve's cars and motorcycles. Also, she said that he had cars and trucks parked up and down the street and the neighbors were on the warpath.

[jurassic]

[jurassic]

[Barry Brown]

Not to be disrespectfull to the dead but do you not think some of his purchases were a bit hasty or undiscerning? Surely he could have sought out better examples than those brush painted jobs. It almost seems to be a trend with some collectors. They accumulate with no focus . Maybe some of his bikes were bought with poor or disreputable advice. A friend of mine sold him a rare original Matchless Silver Hawk that had an original sidecar fitted from new but apparently he did not want or care about the sidecar. I helped reunite the sidecar after Bob Schantz acquired the bike at the auction. It must have cost him a bundle at the time to buy back the XKSS from Harrah.