New Standard for “Cool” Set at Mecum Kissimmee January 18th

By Darrel Burnett – The Automobile Gallery & Event Center

The King of Cool Steve McQueen just set a new standard for cool (as in a cool $25m) at Mecum Kissimmee January 18th.  Owner/comedian Jerry Seinfeld turned down a bid for $25 Million for McQueen’s legendary 1970 Porsche 917- Chassis #022 race car from the 1970 cinematic classic Le Mans.

Despite his profession, the $25m bid was no laughing matter for Seinfeld…

Had he accepted the offer not only would it have shattered the previous all-time Porsche sales record, $25m is more than the top two all-time Porsche sales combined! A twin to McQueen’s 1970 Porsche 917, Chassis #024, which never raced competitively, but crossed the finish line first in the movie Le Mans sold at auction for $14.08m in 2017, and the number 2 top seller of all-time is a pedigreed 1982 Porsche 956 race car that previously sold for $10.12m.

Steve McQueen, who passed away 45 years ago at the age of 50, will forever be the King of Cool, but the one time he lost his cool was during the filming of Le Mans. Despite being a gifted racer and actor, Le Mans turned out to be the worst experience of McQueen’s career. Plagued by production problems from the start, Cinema Center Films tried to replace McQueen with Robert Redford. To save his job, McQueen forfeited his salary, his percentage of the profits and creative control of the film. Bogged down by all that baggage, Le Mans was a box-office failure when it was released but eventually became a cult classic and is now revered as a Hollywood masterpiece. How cool is that?

The Automobile Gallery & Event Center is proud to announce our own special connection to Steve McQueen. The newest addition to our Gallery collection is the historic 1943 German Type 82 VW Kubel Wagen that shared the silver screen with the King of Cool in the Academy Award winning film The Great Escape, widely considered to be Steve McQueen’s greatest film.

On display courtesy of military historian Dave Schommer, this Kubel Wagen, which translates to “bucket car” in English, was Germany’s response to America’s incomparable Jeep in World War II. Designed by Ferdinand Porsche, a total of 50,788 Kubel Wagens were dispatched from the desert to the deep freeze of the Russian front due to their incredible versatility. Featured in multiple Hollywood movies, this Kubel Wagen is restored to precise historical standards.

Experience the incredible Hollywood history of this ultra-rare Kubel Wagen only at The Automobile Gallery & Event Center!