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Steve McQueen’s 1957 Jaguar XKSS: A Hollywood Legend’s Adrenaline-Fueled Ride
Exploring the iconic sports car once owned by the King of Cool, tracing its journey from Le Mans battlefields to the sun-drenched streets of Los Angeles.
John Kiewicz | Photographer
Mar 25, 2026
Few figures in American cinema and culture command the same mystique as Steve McQueen. Charismatic, tempestuous, and undeniably cool, McQueen was a man of raw contradictions—a troubled youth who became a global icon, a pacifist with a penchant for speed, and a Hollywood superstar who yearned for the authenticity of the race track. While his on-screen persona often revolved around rebellion and machismo, his off-screen passions were equally intense, none more so than his love affair with automobiles.
In the pantheon of automotive legends, few cars carry the same weight of history and allure as Steve McQueen’s 1957 Jaguar XKSS. This isn’t just any vintage car; it’s a rolling piece of Hollywood lore, a machine that once thundered through the canyons of Los Angeles with the King of Cool at the helm. For automotive enthusiasts and history buffs alike, the story of this specific XKSS—chassis number XK.SS.713—offers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of the 20th century’s most compelling figures.
The man, the legend, the machine
Before diving into the specifics of the car, it’s crucial to understand the man who made it famous. Steve McQueen was a study in contrasts. Born into poverty and a troubled childhood, he found solace and discipline in the Marine Corps before discovering his calling on the stage and eventually, the silver screen. His breakout role in 1963’s The Great Escape catapulted him to international stardom, solidifying his image as the ultimate anti-hero.
Yet, behind the hardened facade of characters like Lt. Frank Bullitt or the stoic Det. Thomas Crown, lay a man consumed by a relentless pursuit of excitement. McQueen was a perpetual motion machine, a daredevil who couldn’t sit still. He chased adrenaline in every facet of his life, from skydiving and heli-skiing to his truest passion: motorsport.
“I’m not sure what I’m looking for,” McQueen once famously mused, “but I’m sure I’ll know it when I see it.” This sentiment perfectly encapsulated his restless spirit and his quest for the next thrill. And in the 1950s and ’60s, there were few better ways to chase that feeling than behind the wheel of a purpose-built race car.
The genesis of the XKSS
To appreciate McQueen’s 1957 Jaguar XKSS, we must first journey back to the golden era of sports car racing, the 1950s. This was a decade when legendary marques like Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Porsche battled for supremacy on iconic circuits like the NĂĽrburgring, Sebring, and, of course, Le Mans. Among these titans, Jaguar held a special place, particularly with its legendary D-Type.
The D-Type, introduced in 1954, was a masterpiece of engineering and design. Developed from Jaguar’s Le Mans-winning C-Type, it featured a revolutionary monocoque chassis, a lightweight tubular frame up front, and Jaguar’s potent XK inline-six engine. With aerodynamic bodywork penned by Malcolm Sayer and race-proven components, the D-Type was a dominant force in endurance racing, securing victories at Le Mans in 1955, 1956, and 1957.
However, by the end of the 1957 racing season, the D-Type’s era at the top was waning. Stricter regulations regarding engine displacement and the rise of more potent rivals left Jaguar with a surplus of race-ready chassis. Instead of letting them gather dust, Jaguar made a visionary decision: convert the remaining D-Types into road-legal grand tourers, creating what would become one of the most desirable sports cars of all time—the XKSS.
The transformation from race car to road car involved several key modifications. Most notably, a full-width windscreen was added to replace the rudimentary aero screens, and a pair of removable side curtains provided weather protection. A small luggage rack was affixed to the rear deck, and the jarring side-exit exhausts were somewhat tamed, though they retained their aggressive note. Critically, the stripped-down cockpit was outfitted with upholstered seats, a passenger door, and functional street lighting.
The result was a car that retained the D-Type’s raw, exhilarating driving characteristics while being civilized enough for public roads. With around 250 horsepower from the tuned XK engine and a curb weight of just over 2,000 pounds, the XKSS was blindingly fast for its time, capable of speeds well over 150 mph. Only 16 XKSS models were built between 1957 and 1959, making them exceedingly rare even before their association with Steve McQueen.
The King finds his machine
The year was 1958, and Steve McQueen, then a rising television actor on the verge of cinematic superstardom, was cruising through the Hollywood Hills. It was on the winding, sun-drenched roads of Mulholland Drive that he first laid eyes on chassis XK.SS.713. The car, then painted in a striking white with a red interior, belonged to Bill Leyden, a local TV personality known for his innovative approach to car-related programming.
McQueen, known for his impulsive nature and his insatiable appetite for anything fast, was instantly captivated. Accounts vary on the exact price, with some biographers citing a figure as low as $4,000, but all agree that McQueen wasted no time making it his own. This wasn’t just another car in his growing collection; it was a statement of intent, a physical manifestation of his racing ambitions.
Once in his possession, the XKSS became a canvas for McQueen’s personalized touch. He had the car repainted in the iconic British Racing Green, a color that would become synonymous with the car and its owner. The interior was reupholstered in black leather by legendary SoCal hot-rodder and upholstery artist Tony Nancy, transforming the functional cockpit into a plush sanctuary befitting a movie star.
Perhaps the most telling modification was the addition of a metal glovebox door, fabricated by the notorious pinstriper and car culture icon Von Dutch. The story goes that the door was installed to prevent McQueen’s sunglasses from flying out of the open cubby during high-speed runs. This detail perfectly illustrates the car’s dual identity: a luxurious GT that was routinely subjected to the kind of driving usually reserved for closed-circuit racing.
McQueen affectionately nicknamed the car “The Green Rat,” a testament to its well-worn, race-battered character. It wasn’t a pristine showpiece; it was a tool for his automotive obsession. Photos from the era show McQueen working on the car himself, his hands, usually occupied with scripts or firearms, now covered in grease as he fettled the Jag’s complex mechanics.
The legend of Mulholland Drive
For Steve McQueen, the true home of the XKSS wasn’t a garage or a studio lot; it was the twisting ribbon of Mulholland Drive. This legendary road, snaking along the ridge of the Hollywood Hills, became his personal proving ground. In the dead of night, between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m., McQueen and a select group of trusted friends would take to the deserted pavement, pushing the Jaguar to its limits.
The sounds of the Green Rat echoing through the canyons became a familiar nocturnal symphony for the residents of the Hollywood Hills. Dick Messer, a former director of the Petersen Automotive Museum and one of the car’s subsequent caretakers, recalled the neighborhood’s reaction: “People who lived up in the Hollywood Hills would hear the Jag coming and say, ‘Yep, there goes McQueen.’ The Jag was his favorite.”
The driving experience on Mulholland must have been nothing short of exhilarating. With the Jaguar’s direct steering, the driver felt every nuance of the road surface. The powerful straight-six engine bellowed through the side pipes, the exhaust note harmonizing with the intake howl of the Weber carburetors. Gear changes, performed with a stubby aluminum shifter, required a firm hand, the transmission snapping into place with mechanical precision.
This wasn’t timid cruising; this was performance driving in its purest form. McQueen wasn’t just driving the car; he was communing with it, testing its limits and his own. It was in these moments, away from the pressures of Hollywood and the constraints of filmmaking, that the actor truly became the racer.
A taste of the track
While Mulholland Drive provided the backdrop for McQueen’s nocturnal adventures, his passion for the race track was far from a mere hobby. By 1970, he was a bona fide competitor, having co-founded the competitive Solar Racing team with Bruce McLaren. That year, he entered the 12 Hours of Sebring alongside Formula 1 star Peter Revson.
Their weapon of choice was a Porsche 908/2, a lighter, more agile machine than the D-Type-derived XKSS. The race was a grueling test of endurance, and the duo battled valiantly against factory teams and other privateers. Despite nursing a foot injury sustained in a motorcycle accident, McQueen demonstrated remarkable fortitude, pushing himself and the car to the limit.
In a dramatic finish that remains one of Sebring’s most iconic
