\u201cThe racing world is no less creative an expression than film itself. It\u2019s only an oddity because it\u2019s a blood sport.\u201d \u2014Steve McQueen on the set of Le Mans, 1971.<\/p>\n
Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n Subscribers might like to see the directly relevant and integrated A&R pieces that complement and help structure this article:-<\/p>\n Cool. Handsome. Talented. Paranoid. Driven. Mercurial. Idealistic. Straightforward. And Sexy. Sexy as hell.<\/p>\n These are but a few of the words used to describe Terrence Steven McQueen.<\/p>\n Even now, nearly 25 years after his passing, Steve McQueen\u2019s legend lives large. A troubled, dyslexic, often homeless youth who found his calling on both stage and set, McQueen was the most complex of human beings. He could be kindhearted one moment, evil-spirited the next. He exhibited a wicked sense of humor and a violent temper. He was always the perfectionist. A man\u2019s man. And a lady\u2019s man.<\/p>\n McQueen\u2019s complicated life and wildly successful career paralleled the tenets of theater itself: Comedy and Tragedy. Possessing a steely blue gaze and a smoldering moodiness, he magnetized everyone with whom he came in contact, whether in person or only through the silver screen. His gritty sex appeal made him a star in life and a Hollywood icon ever since that life was cut short when he passed away on November 7, 1980, succumbing to cancer at only 50. Steve McQueen and his contemporaries\u2013Newman, Brando, Garner, Coburn, and others\u2013for decades defined the genre of macho American actors.<\/p>\n Steve McQueen\u2019s talent at the wheel of an automobile or aboard a motorcycle was considerable. He was ultra competitive at anything he did, and mastering cars and bikes became an early passion. By the time he was able to influence the content of the films he appeared in and create opportunities for his characters to drive or ride interesting machinery, he had already done a considerable amount of racing at amateur and semi-professional levels.<\/p>\n “McQueen and his Lotus 11, circa 1959. This is the car that he traded his \u201958 Porsche Speedster for, and as such it was McQueen\u2019s first real racing machine. He enjoyed several good battles in it, winning a few races along the way. About it, McQueen said \u201cIn that Lotus I really started to become competitive. I was smoother, more relaxed; the rough edges had been knocked off my driving. I was beginning to find out what real sports car racing was all about.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n