The Man & Le Mans film poster – Steve McQueen (Title Only)

The Man & Le Mans film poster – Steve McQueen (Title Only)

This vintage film poster was created to promote the Steve McQueen documentary, The Man & Le Mans. The poster captures the ‘King of Cool’, Steve McQueen in the closing scene of the 1971 motorsport film, Le Mans. It depicts the actor, as Michael Delaney, giving his iconic two-finger salute to his rival Erich Stahler after beating him into third place.

The Man & Le Mans documentary focuses on film star Steve McQueen’s efforts to pursue his dream of creating a film about his passion: race-car driving. At the time McQueen was of the highest paid and most successful film stars in the world. With films such as Nevada Smith, The Thomas Crown Affair and Bullitt, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Love with a Proper Stranger – McQueen was box office gold.

The 1971 Le Mans film

McQueen’s fame, success and wealth enabled him to pursue his dream. In 1971, he set out to create a film about his one of his biggest passions… motor racing. Le Mans is an action sports film depicting a fictional 24 Hours of Le Mans car race starring Steve McQueen and directed by Lee H. Katzin. For fans of motor sport, the film magnificently captures one of the most iconic, evocative eras in motorsports, and some of the best cars. McQueen’s crew shot actual footage captured during the 1970 r edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Porsche 917s and Ferrari 512s battled it out and hit speeds of 200km/h.

Criticism that the film has no plot, no dialogue and no love story, comes from people that don’t understand what McQueen was trying to portray. He was trying to get over what was special about motor racing to him. The noise, the adrenilin, the danger and living on the edge. It is less of a film and more of a fictional documentary. The current term docudrama seems to cover it. The film just didn’t get past the fans that were already racing car enthusiasts and it was a box office flop.

Despite its failings, Le Mans was a brave and ambitious attempt by McQueen to follow his vision. In the 50+ years since its premiere, that McQueen never attended, Le Mans has become a classic for car enthusiasts. As the original theatical poster says “Steve McQueen takes you for a ride in the country. The country is France. The drive is at 200MPH!” It is now considered as arguably the best film made about the sport of race car driving and certainly the most authentic. Le Mans lets you see and hear the machines and the circuit in a way no other racing movie has managed and it remains an important part of Steve McQueen’s legacy.

Steve McQueen’s Le Mans racing suit sells for $984,000

The racing suit and helmet worn by McQueen in the 1971 film Le Mans, were given away as part of a competition by the German magazine Bravo, to celebrate the film’s original release. The competition winner had his eyes on first prize, a Porsche 914, so the suit was put away and left in the attic of his home. After nearly fifty years and almost being scrapped, his widow put it up for auction through Sotheby’s where is commanded a price of £336,000.

The suit was made from Nomex fireproof fabric and manufactured by Hinchman in Indianapolis, it had an unpredictable impact on fashion, the film “Le Mans” made ​​the Gulf brand famous for motor oil… and created a popular clothing line! Almost forgotten in the 80’s, the famous orange and blue logo has become fashionable in recent years

A second driving suit from the film was also won in a 1971 American studio-sponsored contest. The winner, a twelve year old boy at the time, was among the iconic Hollywood items sold at a the Profiles in History auction in 2011. It was estimated in the $200,000-$300,000 range. At auction the suit fetched $984,000. A staggering amount of money when you consider that the Porsche that McQueen drove in the film sold for $1.25 million.

Steve McQueen film posters

Whether you know him as the King of Cool, Harvey Mushman, Terrence Stephen McQueen or by his character names including JOsh Randall, Thomas Crown, Lt Frank Bullitt, Michael Delaney, Junior Bonner, Ctn Virgil Hilts,  Vin Tanner or Tom Horn, there’s one thing fr sure, Steve McQueen is quite simply one of the most iconic actors of all time. On-scree McQueen’s cool, reticent ant-hero persona appealed strongly to the masses. This led him to cement his status as one of the most famous celebrities in Hollywood and made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. In 1974, McQueen became the highest-paid movie star in the world.

Some of our personal Steve McQueen posters include the Italian film poster for the 1968 film Bullitt showing McQueen posed leaning against a wall with his gun and holster on view. We also love the 1969 Belgian release created by Ray Elseviers which features McQueen pointing a gun at us with the beautiful Jacquelinge Bisset by his side and the famous 1968 Mustang in the bottom right-hand corner. The  movie poster for the original Italian release of the Le Mans film titled Le 24 Ore di Le Mans features a cool rendering of the film star turned racing driver. And, of course, we have to include the two Frank McCarthy posters for 1963s The Great Escape. The first with the portrayal of McQueen as Hilts in the iconic scene where he jumps the fence in  The Great Escape.  And the image for the British Quad version of the poster where is seen running away from the prison camp with James Garner and Richard Attenborough.