
The Steve McQueen 1951 Chevy Styleline DeLuxe convertible coupe is due to go under the hammer on March 13th.
The Steve McQueen Midas touch has already transformed a Porsche 911 into a seven-figure car, pushed a film prop driving suit to an unimaginable price, and helped a Ford GT40 become the most expensive American car ever sold at auction. So what will it do for a ’51 Chevrolet?
We get to find out the answer to that question next month when a yellow Styleline DeLuxe convertible coupe goes under the hammer at the Auctions America Fort Lauderdale sale.
Unlike those other McQueen-related items, the Chevrolet had no connection with McQueen’s 1971 film Le Mans, but it did play a role in another of the actor’s films and did spend some time, however brief, in his collection.
Based on the life of Ralph “Papa” Thorson, The Hunter, released in 1980, ultimately became McQueen’s last starring role in a film. He originally wanted to direct it as well, but ended up handing those duties over to Buzz Kulick.
Cast as almost the complete opposite of the suave, fast characters he normally played, McQueen tooled around in a plain-Jane 1951 Chevrolet for much of the movie; after filming wrapped in December 1979, McQueen found he had grown attached to the convertible, so he bought it.

He didn’t get to enjoy it long, however: The cancer that kept him from directing The Hunter then led to his death in November 1980. Four years later, his estate sold the car – along with documentation verifying its time in McQueen’s collection – at auction in Las Vegas.
According to the Chevrolet’s auction description, the Steve McQueen 1951 Chevy was restored about 10 years ago and includes its original 92hp, 216.5-cu.in. Stovebolt six-cylinder engine, column-shifted three-speed transmission, a working power top, fender skirts, and a conversion to 12-volt electrics. It will cross the block with no reserve.
Auctions America’s Fort Lauderdale sale will take place March 22-24 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. For more information, visit AuctionsAmerica.com.
Steve McQueen 1951 Chevy Up For Auction (Updated)
So it might not have come anywhere near a million dollars as some other Steve McQueen-associated vehicles have, but the 1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe convertible that the actor once owned still fetched a far-above-average price when it sold for $84,000.