Product Description
He made movies best remembered for their wild car chases, mad motorcycle dashes, and hair-raising races, but no one forgets the man at the wheel–Steve McQueen, the King of Cool. No other Hollywood star has been so closely linked with cars and bikes. It is this connection that McQueens Machines explores, giving readers a close-up look at the cars and motorcycles McQueen drove in movies, those he owned, and others he raced. From the 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback he… More >>
#1 by Kevin J. Henry on July 2, 2010 - 7:09 pm
There are a few Hollywood legends known for their love of fast machines. All of you motorheads out there (and there are millions of you!) know about James Dean, Paul Newman, and Jay Leno. In my opinion Steve McQueen’s love for REALLY fast machines eclipses that of all the others in the sense that he not only surrounded himself with some of the most desirable and now legendary cars and bikes ever, but they frequently took center stage in many, many of his equally timeless movies….”On Any Sunday”, “The Thomas Crown Affair”, “The Great Escape”, “Bullit”(I still get a bit queasy watching that one), and of course the mother of all racing movies, “Le Mans”.
This book documents the way he LIVED that life. It is impeccably researched and laced throughout with photographs and endless tidbits all documenting his collection, how it was acquired over his lifetime, and it tells of his love not only for those machines, but his of driving(and riding).
It is a wonderful resource for documenting bar bets as well. With this at hand you’ll never lose a bet with any of your car-crazy friends !!
Like his well-worn movies that have stood the test of time, I’m sure you’ll find that this volume will stand up just as well.
When in doubt….ACCELERATE :~)
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Glass Audio lover on July 2, 2010 - 9:07 pm
Great book, and a terrific research effort by Matt Stone in compiling all this information on bikes and cars and McQueen. My favorite parts:
Lots of great “behind the scenes” information on McQueen’s top cars (the XKSS, the Porsches, the Lusso), and some items I didn’t know about his lesser known collections. I disagree with the others about the detail and pix; Stone has done a heroic job of gathering a mix of hard-to-find photos, press clippings, and stories about these cars, even hunting down and getting details from reluctant owners. Unless you are a hard core McQueen collector, finding this amount of information is tough, not to mention the current status of McQueen’s top cars. Plus some great, never before seen pix from the family’s private collection.
A great effort, an entertaining book, and some great stories about an icon in movies and motorsports (and I thought I knew a lot about McQueen).
Now, if I could just get a few minutes of time in the XKSS…ahhhh a guy can dream, right?
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Lavender girl on July 2, 2010 - 11:29 pm
Chad McQueen’s input and those that were around McQueen make this such an interesting book. I gave it as a gift to someone who was a fan of Steve’s. Loved the anecdotes throughout and great photos.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Red Wood on July 3, 2010 - 1:17 am
As the previous review noted, this is likely not the book to get if you’re looking for a decent amount of detail on the actor/race car driver Steve McQueen’s cars. However, I am not a car fanatic whatsoever. The only reason I even picked this up was because McQueen is one of my icons and the cover caught my eye. However, to my surprise, I really got involved in this book! Knowing his car fanaticism but having never looked into it, myself, I found it very intriguing that most of his favorites were actually cars I DO like! This guy could not only drive but he had taste, too(actually, this was really no surprise to me, now that I think about it)! As the other reviewer comments, one can probably locate a number of the photos online, but this makes a GREAT coffee table book! I LOVE IT! However, I agree, again, that this recommendation is actually for McQueen fans more than just car afficionados.
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 by Andy Saldana on July 3, 2010 - 4:02 am
BOOK IS A WINNER AND A MUST READ FOR ANYBODY REMOTELY A FAN OF STEVE MCQUEEN THE TV STAR,MOVIE STAR OR AUTO MAGNATE AND ENTHUSIAST. THE PHOTOS OF HIS PERSONAL STABLE OF KILLER VEHICLES AND MOTORCYCLES IS NOT TO BE BELIEVED. WHAT A SUPER BOOK TO DISPLAY PROUDLY ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE. IT STANDS OUT LIKE THE GREAT READING IT IS. COULDN’T BE HAPPIER WITH THIS PURCHASE.
Rating: 5 / 5