The young couple in the Ferrari 360 are full of admiration as they pull up alongside us on the beachfront road. 'Nice car, man!' says the driver from behind his mirror shades. "Thanks!' I reply.
'We're photographing it for a magazine - it's the actual buggy driven by Steve McQueen in the movie The Thomas Crown Affair! The guy pauses for a moment longer before nodding vaguely, and then he and his bleach-blonde girlfriend are gone in a swirl of windblown sand. "They didn't have a clue who I was talking about, did they?' I remark to my friend and photographer Evan Klein. 'Nope!' he replies.
It's a recurrent theme. As we grab some shots beside the Pacific Ocean, several passers-by compliment this Meyers Manx buggy, the epitome of Californian beach life. Each time we explain its significance, more often than not their slightly glazed expressions suggest they've never heard of Steve McQueen. Can this really be true? Has the King of Cool finally lost his crown?
It's hard to believe. I've just spent an hour blasting along the Pacific Coast Highway in Steve McQueen's actual dune buggy. Let me repeat that: Steve McQueen's actual dune buggy. It's the focus of a key scene in the movie, when his character, the gentleman thief Thomas Crown, takes insurance investigator Vicki Anderson (played by Faye Dunaway) for a wild ride around the dunes in his customised Meyers Manx buggy. There are no stunt doubles here: McQueen yomps and drifts and handbraketurns the Manx with total abandon while Dunaway gamely attempts to stay in her seat, laughing all the while. Go girl!
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Octane.
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Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Octane.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Will China Change Everything? - China is tearing up modern motor manufacture but is yet to make more than a ripple in the classic car world. That could be about to change dramatically
China now dominates the automotive world in a way even Detroit in its heyday would have struggled to comprehend.Helped by Government incentives, the new car world is dominated by China's industries: whether full cars that undercut Western models by huge amounts, ownership of storied European brands such as Lotus and Volvo, or ownership and access to the vast majority of raw materials that go into EV cars, its influence is far-reaching and deep. However, this automotive enlightenment hasn't manifested itself in the classic world in any meaningful way - until now.
Jem Marsh
The hard-bitten Marcos boss was driven like few others and never knew when he was beaten. Thankfully
Vandamm House
A Mid-Century Modernist masterpiece that was immortalised on celluloid - despite never actually existing
Making light
Alfa Romeo's post-war renaissance began with the 1900 saloon - and matured with Zagato's featherweight coupé version, as Jay Harvey discovers
FULL OF EASTERN PROMISE
Is burgeoning classic car interest in the Middle East good for the global classic market? Nathan Chadwick investigates
Before the beginning
This rare Amazon Green pre-production Range Rover is Velar chassis number 4. James Elliott charts its historically revealing factory restoration
Ben Cussons
As the outgoing chairman of the Royal Automobile Club hands on to his successor, Robert Coucher quizzes him about the evolution of this great British institution
BULLDOG & THE PUPPIES
We gather five motoring masterpieces by avant-garde designer William Towns - and drive all of them
Below the tip of the Audrain iceberg
As the Audrain organisation grows, we take a look behind the scenes at the huge car collection that feeds it
Flying the Scottish flag
Young Ecurie Ecosse driver Chloe Grant gets to grips with the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar C-type at Goodwood. Matthew Hayward is Octane's witness
