The King of Cool’s Ultimate Prancing Horse: Steve McQueen’s 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spider Headed to Auction for the First Time
For four decades, one of the most mythical and elusive automobiles in cinematic and automotive history has remained entirely out of the public eye. Tucked away as the crown jewel of a secretive, private New York-based Ferrari collection, a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spider delivered new to legendary Hollywood actor and racing icon Steve McQueen is finally stepping out of the shadows.
Set to headline the inaugural Gooding Christie’s Rétromobile New York sale on November 21, chassis No. 10453 is more than just a classic car; it is a rolling piece of pop-culture and motorsport mythology. Expected to fetch between $15 million and $20 million when it crosses the auction block, this landmark sale promises to be one of the most anticipated events in the collector-car world in decades.
Main Facts: The Legend of Chassis No. 10453
The vehicle in question is a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spider—an ultra-exclusive, V-12-powered convertible built by Scaglietti that represents the absolute zenith of 1960s Italian automotive engineering combined with Hollywood royalty.
Out of an originally intended run of 25 units requested by U.S. Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti, only 10 examples of the N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team) Spider were ever completed due to sluggish early market interest. This rarity alone makes any N.A.R.T. Spider a holy grail for serious collectors. However, chassis No. 10453 carries an unmatched provenance: it was ordered new by, and custom-tailored for, Steve McQueen—the undisputed "King of Cool," whose association with a car instantly elevates its status from valuable to legendary.
Unlike other surviving N.A.R.T. Spiders that have frequently rotated through collections or made high-profile concours appearances, McQueen’s personal car has been fiercely guarded. It has been shown publicly a mere two times in the past forty years and has never once been offered at public auction.
Chronology: A Timeline of McQueen’s Prancing Horse
To understand the journey of chassis No. 10453 is to trace a path through Hollywood sets, Southern California coastal highways, and elite private garages.
Late 1960s: Cinematic Inspiration and Factory Order
Steve McQueen’s fascination with the model began on the set of the 1968 classic film The Thomas Crown Affair. During production, a brand-new Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spider was brought on set. Driven by leading actress Faye Dunaway—who famously and casually dismisses it on screen as "one of those red Italian things"—the car left an indelible impression on McQueen.
Eager to secure one for himself, McQueen contacted Luigi Chinetti. Chinetti, a racing legend and close confidant of Enzo Ferrari, had successfully pressured the factory to build an open-top successor to the legendary 250 California Spider specifically tailored to the American market.
Delivery and Customization in Los Angeles
Delivered as the sixth of the 10 production units, chassis No. 10453 arrived via Hollywood Sports Cars in Los Angeles, finished in a factory shade of metallic blue known as Blu Sera.
Accompanied by his close friend Lee Brown, a local body shop owner, McQueen went to take delivery of his new machine. Upon inspecting the car, McQueen’s reaction was characteristically candid: "I really don’t like this shade of blue. Can we change it?"
Brown immediately set to work transforming the car to McQueen’s exact specifications. The modifications were extensive and distinctive:
- Paint: Repainted in a significantly darker, moodier shade of blue.
- Aesthetics: The factory bumpers were entirely removed to achieve a clean, aggressive, race-car-style aesthetic, and the rear spoiler was subtly modified.
- Functionality: An exterior fuel filler cap was installed.
- Interior: The seats were fully reupholstered featuring custom stitching and extra side bolstering to hold McQueen firmly in place during spirited driving. The dashboard radio surround was also customized.
The Malibu Mishap
McQueen wasted no time putting the V-12 Ferrari through its paces, regularly thrashing it along Southern California’s winding Mulholland Drive and the Pacific Coast Highway.
However, the car’s vibrant active life hit a temporary roadblock in Malibu. While stopped at a traffic light, a distracted truck driver rear-ended the Ferrari, shunting it forward into another vehicle and inflicting heavy damage to both the front and rear ends. Impatient with the repair timeline at Hershel “Junior” Conway’s renowned House of Color shop, McQueen simply abandoned the waiting game and walked out to buy a brand-new 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 coupe to tide himself over.
The Spider’s repairs were eventually completed, but by then, McQueen’s automotive passions had shifted toward Porsches and racing bikes. In 1971, he parted ways with the car, selling it to Tujunga-based entrepreneur and racer J. David Kopf.
The Modern Era of Secrecy
Kopf retained the car until 1985, when it was sold to New York-based Ferrari specialist Grand Prix SSR, which restored the vehicle back to its original Blu Sera paintwork.
In 1986, the car found its way to its current guardian: renowned Ferrari collector and former president of software giant CA Technologies, Anthony Wang. Wang, whose legendary collection has included automotive royalty such as a pair of 250 GTOs, a 250 Testa Rossa, and a 250 California Spider, kept the ex-McQueen Spider locked away as the secretive centerpiece of his New York collection. Since acquiring it, Wang has exhibited the car only twice: at the 1996 Louis Vuitton Classic in New York and the 2003 "La Bella Macchina: The Art of Ferrari" exhibition at the Virginia-based Chrysler Museum of Art.
Supporting Data: The N.A.R.T. Spider Market
Ferrari’s 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spiders occupy an ultra-exclusive tier in the collector car market. With only 10 examples ever produced, market opportunities to acquire one are exceptionally rare.
Historically, N.A.R.T. Spiders command astronomical figures when they do change hands. Notably:
- 2005: The actual car featured in The Thomas Crown Affair was sold by Gooding & Company for a then-record-shattering $3.96 million.
- 2013: A red 1967 example owned from new by Eddie Smith Sr., the former mayor of Lexington, North Carolina, dominated global headlines when it sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction for a staggering $27.5 million, with proceeds benefiting charity.
When positioned against these sales, the pre-auction estimate for McQueen’s chassis No. 10453—pegged conservatively between $15 million and $20 million—reflects both its peerless celebrity provenance and its four-decade absence from public view. Furthermore, the sale follows hot on the heels of Anthony Wang’s decision to part with another crown jewel from his collection: his ultra-rare 1963 Ferrari 250 P race car, which fetched an extraordinary $18.7 million at Gooding Christie’s Monterey auction last August.
Official Responses: What the Experts Say
The announcement of the auction has sent shockwaves through the classic car establishment. Industry insiders and auction specialists emphasize that chassis No. 10453 represents a once-in-a-generation acquisition opportunity.
“Of all the iconic cars owned by Steve McQueen, this has to be the most elusive and mysterious,” says David Brynan, senior specialist at Gooding Christie’s, in an interview with Robb Report. “Only shown twice in the past 40 years, and never offered before at auction, the car is as cool as its original owner.”
Brynan stresses that the car’s appeal extends far beyond its famous first owner, pointing out its unique historical footprint.
“This car is unlike any of the other N.A.R.T. Spiders, not just because of its Steve McQueen ownership—which itself is a huge draw—but also because it has been out of the public eye for so long, and has never been offered at auction before,” Brynan notes. “It is a collector’s dream.”
Implications: A Watershed Moment for the Collector Car Market
The upcoming sale of Steve McQueen’s 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spider on November 21 carries significant implications for the upper echelon of the collector car market.
- The Power of Provenance: In a maturing market where standard-production classics often experience price fluctuations, vehicles backed by indisputable, blue-chip cultural provenance continue to defy economic gravity. The intersection of Enzo Ferrari’s finest engineering and Hollywood’s ultimate icon creates a value proposition that transcends traditional automotive metrics.
- The "Unseen" Premium: Collectors increasingly value discovery and originality. Because chassis No. 10453 has remained locked away in a private New York sanctuary for 40 years, untainted by the relentless exhibition circuit, it offers the next custodian a rare canvas of untouched historical narrative.
- Setting the Tone for New York Sales: As the headline lot for the inaugural Gooding Christie’s Rétromobile New York sale, the performance of this V-12 masterpiece will serve as a definitive health check for the ultra-high-end collector car market heading into the close of the year.
When the hammer falls on November 21, whoever secures the keys will not merely be purchasing a vintage Italian convertible. They will be taking stewardship of a tangible piece of automotive folklore—a machine built for the open road, tailored by a Hollywood legend, and destined to remain forever as cool as its original owner.
