Steve McQueen’s Meyers Manx Dune Buggy Just Sold For $456K

Hot on the heels of the sale of the 1968 Ford Mustang from Bullitt in January (which went for an astounding $3.74 million), another vehicle tied to the inimitable Steve McQueen just sold at Bonhams’ Amelia Island Auction over the weekend.

The Meyers Manx dune buggy McQueen caroused in for the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair went for a much more reasonable $456,000; well, reasonable for a McQueen-driven vehicle, not so much for a Volkswagen-based car with no roof. But anything associated with the late actor – Hollywood’s certified King of Cool and a noted speed freak – commands a high premium.

The Meyers Manx was a kit car, a fiberglass body meant to be used with a shortened VW Beetle chassis and engine. But this particular model was customized at the behest of McQueen for the film, and originally featured a 2.7-litre flat-six from a Chevrolet Corvair, along with recessed headlights and a quilted cabin. Oh, and two levers to brake either the left or right rear tires for trick driving.

After filming, it was sold to a car dealer in Hawaii, who ditched the Corvair engine for a race-modified VW kit. It was later sold to its last owner, and two decades later it underwent a complete restoration, including a return to the Corvair engine. Every attempt to keep and restore every original part was made, and even the original paint was uncovered to find a suitable match.

According to Bonhams, this may be the last car tied to McQueen that will go on sale for a long time, as most others are in long-term collections.

*Images courtesy of Bonhams