Monday, December 19, 2011

Michael Delaney's Driving Suit sells for $984,000 USD

Who is Michael Delaney? Why that was the character Steve McQueen played in the movie LeMan's. I really dont know what to say or even think about this...
Here is the excerpt from the auction house catalog. Poor little Timothy Davies must be kicking himself!

LOS ANGELES, November 3, 2011- Profiles in History, run by Joe Maddalena is proud to announce a major addition to their already stellar "Icons of Hollywood" auction, Steve McQueen's "Michael Delaney" screen used Gulf driving suit from, Le Mans, the most influential movie about racing ever made. The two-piece racing suit (jacket and pants) features a zipper and Velcro closure jacket with “Michael Delaney” stitched in blue thread above the right breast zipper pocket, iconic orange and blue Gulf racing stripes as well as Gulf patches on the breast and back.  In addition there are United States flag, Hinchman Nomex, Heuer Chronograph and Firestone sponsor patches. The "Icons of Hollywood" auction is set for December 15, 16 and 17 at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills.

When principle filming of Le Mans was completed, Solar Productions donated this suit to the British newspaper, The Observer for a special Le Mans-themed contest in 1971.  By answering 3 Le Mans history questions correctly 12 year old Timothy Davies of Wolverhampton, England was chosen as the winner and presented with the suit by racing driver Richard “Dickie” Attwood, winner of the 1970 Le Mans race and driver of the Porsche 917K Gulf car during driving sequences in the film. Filmed on location in Le Mans, France, the film’s spellbinding cinematography provides a thrilling glimpse of the sights and sounds of Porsche 917s and Ferrari 512s, locked in fierce competition for outright victory.  It featured footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race and remains popular with racing enthusiasts today as it accurately depicted the era with lots of racing and minimal dialogue.  The film featured numerous top-level racing drivers of the day for the driving sequences including Derek Bell, Vic Elford, Jacky Ickx, Brian Redman, Jo Siffert and many others.  The suit is in excellent condition and without question, one of the pinnacles of motorsport memorabilia and the Holy Grail of racing film costumes. The suit has a presale estimate of $200,000-$300,000. Image of Steve McQueen in Le Mans (©) Solar Productions 1971

No comments:

Post a Comment