Full Story: T2407009_Gentle Rescue by Sea

Title: Driving Steve McQueen’s 1957 Jaguar XKSS: A Timeless Icon of Speed and Style The name Steve McQueen immediately conjures images of raw charisma, rebellious spirit, and an undeniable swagger. A titan of 20th-century cinema, McQueen was more than just an actor; he was a cultural phenomenon, a man whose on-screen intensity mirrored a life lived on the edge. Yet, beyond the legendary performances in Bullitt, The Great Escape, and Le Mans, lay a deeper, more elemental passion that truly defined him: his profound love affair with high-performance machinery. For McQueen, cars and motorcycles weren’t mere accessories; they were extensions of his soul, objects of obsession that offered a rare sense of control in a life often dictated by forces beyond his command. Among the pantheon of vehicles that graced his legendary collection—a trove that included everything from Ferraris and Cobras to Porsches and Packards—one machine stands out, a rare jewel of automotive history that perfectly encapsulates his persona. This is the story of Steve McQueen’s 1957 Jaguar XKSS, a car that is as storied and complex as the man who drove it. The King of Cool and His Machines Long before he became a household name, Steve McQueen was a young man grappling with a tumultuous past. Born into poverty and marked by a troubled childhood that included time spent in a reform school, he possessed a volatile mix of vulnerability and defiance. It was this very complexity that made him such a magnetic screen presence. He was the misunderstood bad boy, the rugged anti-hero whose smoldering gaze and quiet intensity could captivate millions. However, the silver screen was only part of his story. McQueen’s true passion lay in the visceral, mechanical world of speed. He was an autodidact, learning the nuances of engines and mechanics through hands-on experience rather than formal training. His films often served as a canvas to showcase this obsession. In The Great Escape, his daredevil motorcycle stunts became the stuff of legend. In The Thomas Crown Affair, he piloted a custom dune buggy along the California coastline, a vision of effortless cool. Yet, it was two films in particular that cemented his legacy as a true automotive aficionado: Bullitt and Le Mans. The 1968 chase scene in Bullitt, featuring McQueen’s Highland Green Mustang fastback pursuing a black Dodge Charger through the hills of San Francisco, remains perhaps the most iconic car chase sequence ever filmed. McQueen wasn’t just acting; he was living the experience, pushing the Mustang to its absolute limits. Le Mans (1971) was even more personal. Driven by a desire to capture the authentic soul of endurance racing, McQueen poured his own money and passion into the project. He insisted on filming the actual 24-hour race, competing alongside professional drivers in a Gulf-liveried Porsche 917. The film, though a commercial disappointment at the time, has since achieved legendary status among car enthusiasts, a testament to McQueen’s unwavering dedication to his craft and his passion. It was during this period that he famously quipped, “Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.” McQueen possessed genuine talent behind the wheel. While he may not have reached the pinnacle of professional motorsport, he was undoubtedly a formidable competitor. His third-place finish at the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring, driving a Porsche 908/2 alongside Peter Revson, stands as a testament to his skill. He achieved this remarkable result despite having one foot in a cast due to a motorcycle accident just weeks earlier. The Genesis of a Legend: The Jaguar XKSS As McQueen’s career ascended, so did his ability to indulge his automotive passions. He moved beyond humble MGs and embraced the world’s most desirable high-performance vehicles. But amidst the Ferraris, Cobras, and Porsches, one car held a special place in his heart: his 1957 Jaguar XKSS. To understand the significance of the XKSS, one must delve into the history of its progenitor: the Jaguar D-Type. In the 1950s, Jaguar was a dominant force in international motorsport. The legendary XK120M, C-Type, and D-Type models consistently proved their mettle on circuits across the globe. The D-Type, in particular, was a masterpiece of engineering and design. Developed in the early 1950s, it represented the pinnacle of front-engine sports racing technology for its era. The D-Type’s innovative construction set it apart. Its chassis featured a semi-monocoque design, with the driver’s tub forming a rigid structural element, while a tubular frame supported the engine and front suspension. This approach, coupled with the legendary Jaguar XK inline-six engine—a twin-cam powerhouse capable of producing around 250 horsepower in race trim—resulted in a car that was both devastatingly fast and remarkably agile. Its aerodynamic bodywork, penned by the visionary Malcolm Sayer, was a work of art, blending sensuous curves with functional efficiency. Jaguar’s dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was unparalleled, with the D-Type securing victory three consecutive years from 1955 to 1957. However, by the late 1950s, the landscape of motorsport was shifting. Stricter regulations, particularly the 1958 mandate for 3.0-liter engines, rendered the D-Type less competitive against newer, more powerful rivals like the Ferrari Testa Rossa. Faced with a surplus of unsold D-Types, Jaguar devised an ingenious solution. Instead of letting these incredible machines languish, the company decided to convert them into road-legal sports cars, creating what would become one of the most desirable limited-edition vehicles of all time: the XKSS. The conversion process involved several key modifications. A full-width windscreen was added to replace the aerodynamic aeroscreen, and a rudimentary soft top and luggage rack were fitted to the rear deck. Side curtains, crafted from Perspex, were bolted into place to offer minimal protection from the elements. The lighting system was upgraded to street specifications, and a pair of comfortable upholstered seats replaced the minimalist racing buckets. Even the exhaust system was revised, though it remained notoriously hot, often necessitating a passenger to guard the unwary from singed calves. The result was a car that retained the D-Type’s exhilarating performance while offering just enough civility for road use. Only 16 examples of the XKSS were ever built, each a unique blend of race car DNA and street-legal charm. It was this rare, beguiling nature that first captured Steve McQueen’s attention. A Hollywood Encounter The story of how McQueen acquired his XKSS is steeped in the lore of 1950s Hollywood. The car, chassis number XK.SS.713, began its life as a left-hand-drive D-Type originally destined for the U.S. market. After its racing career, it was converted to XKSS specifications and imported to California in April 1957. Its first owner was James Peterson, a building contractor involved in the development of the legendary Riverside International Raceway. Peterson soon sold the car to Bill Leyden, a prominent local radio and television personality. It was on the set of Leyden’s show, parked conspicuously on a Sunset Boulevard studio lot, that Steve McQueen first laid eyes on the magnificent machine. Accounts vary on the exact details, but most agree that McQueen purchased the car in 1958, reportedly for around $4,000. It was a transaction that would forge a lifelong bond between man and machine. McQueen, ever the perfectionist, immediately set about making his mark on the car. He commissioned Tony Nancy, a renowned drag racer and upholsterer, to refinish the interior in black leather, a choice that would develop a rich patina over the years. The flamboyant pinstriper Von Dutch, a friend and confidant of McQueen’s, fabricated a metal glovebox door, allegedly to prevent McQueen’s sunglasses from flying out during spirited drives. McQueen affectionately nicknamed the car the “Green Rat,” though the exterior color’s history is somewhat debated. While photos exist showing the car in a lighter hue, McQueen had it repainted in a deep, lustrous British Racing Green, a color that perfectly complemented its predatory lines. The car became a fixture in McQueen’s life, a constant companion through the highs and lows of his burgeoning career. He was often seen working on the car himself, a testament to his hands-on approach to his automotive passions. The Mulholland Drive Legend The setting for many of McQueen’s most iconic drives was Mulholland Drive, a winding ribbon of pavement that snakes along the crest of the Hollywood Hills. From this perch, one can gaze out at the sprawling expanse of Los Angeles, a city that McQueen helped define on screen. Mulholland, with its series of challenging curves and elevation changes, was his personal playground, a place where he could unleash the raw power of his cars under the cloak of darkness. Between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m., when the city slept, McQueen and a select group of friends would take to the deserted roads. The unmistakable roar of the XKSS cutting through the night air became a familiar sound to the residents of the Hollywood Hills. As one local resident recalled, “People who lived up in the Hollywood Hills would hear the Jag coming and say, ‘Yep, there goes McQueen.’ The Jag was his favorite.” It was here, on these very roads, that we chose to experience the 195