The stuff of legends

"McQueen Drove the Car, Too" is the headline of a New York Times article written by Richard S. Chang about an upcoming auction featuring the Porsche 908/2 raced at Sebring by Peter Revson and Steve McQueen. The car is expected to fetch between $1.5-$2 million. The car was also featured in the movie LeMans, but that year's Sebring is long-remembered as one of the greatest endurance races of all time. In fact a book's been written about it.

Although Chang states that it may be the greatest race no one has ever heard of, there is a lot of information out there about the race - enough that the comment is better "adjusted" to no one outside of racing enthusiasts has ever heard of. Check out this site with a short review of the race and plenty of photos. And Paul Spurell has a bit about the race and his Alfa Romeo Spyder.

The article:
VERY few auction notices that appear in my e-mail inbox catch my eye. But a recent one did that was from Bonhams & Butterfields about a Porsche 908/2 being auctioned on Aug. 15 during the Pebble Beach auto weekend in California. Steve McQueen raced the Porsche in 1970 in the 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the greatest sports stories you've probably never heard of.

Mario Andretti won, driving for Ferrari, but the race was an event where even the subplots were tremendous tales, none more intriguing than the driver pairing of the second-place car, McQueen and Peter Revson, a budding Formula One driver. Revson was also an heir to the Revlon cosmetics fortune.


The lineup that year included Andretti, Jacky Ickx and other Grand Prix legends. McQueen's accomplishment was more than a celebrity dabble. He drove Sebring with a broken foot in a cast that was duct-taped together.

''I remember they kept announcing, 'Steven McQueen! Steve McQueen! Steve McQueen!' '' Andretti told me. ''They never mentioned Revson, and Revson drove the lion's share of that race because Steve had a broken foot. Revson was doing a phenomenal job, obviously, but he never got mentioned.''

Running out of fuel in the final laps, Andretti made a quick pit stop (a move that's become part of racing lore) before regaining the lead. Revson finished only 23 seconds behind.

''I thought he did a tremendous job in that car,'' said Andretti, who figured Revson drove eight or nine hours that day. ''I think he deserved all the credit for keeping it so competitive. He had to be so focused. I mean, I was spent.''

Revson, who finished second in the 1971 Indy 500, was killed in a crash in South Africa in 1974.

Check out these photos from the race and a complete list of winners is available too.