A classic car driven by Steve McQueen in his final film is up for sale for a little over $6,000 – but there’s a very good reason for why the price is so low.
The 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was used as a stunt vehicle in the late actor’s final film, the 1980 action thriller ‘The Hunter’.
The car remained in the Pontiac Motor Division show car fleet following its assembly in November 1978 before it was sold to Paramount Pictures a year later – where it was used in the movie.
It is one of two cars used for an explosion scene and was given to a farmer in Illinois as compensation for aiding the crew in the production of the film.
It remained on the farm in a barn for nearly 40 years and – as you might expect – has certainly seen better days.
The famous vehicle isn’t quite in the same condition it was in the 1980s film The Hunter
Steve McQueen died of lung cancer in 1980, the same year as The Hunter film came out
Said to be the only remaining Firebird from the film, it was eventually recovered by the current owner in 2018 and showcased at multiple car shows across the US.
The vehicle underwent modifications for use in the movie, being repainted from blue to black, and being stripped of its rear spoiler, side mirrors, wheel center caps, and badging by the film crew following the completion of filming.
Multiple body panels are also missing from the exterior.
Inside, the seats appear to be in relatively good shape, but the steering wheel is rather worse for wear and burns to the passenger side are still clear to see from the on-set explosion.
The listing also describes the rear bench as having ‘rodent damage’, while rust has penetrated through the metal along the floor.
The famous Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from The Hunter has not aged gracefully whatsoever
The car was left in a barn for nearly 40 years and is now severely worn out and damaged
Its parts are covered in rust after being in the farmer’s barn for nearly four decades
The steering wheel survived McQueen’s dramatic turns but couldn’t survive the arrow of time
Somehow, even after nearly 40 years in the barn, the seats still seem in okay condition
Other damages include a dented roof, a cracked windscreen, a missing door and no bonnet
As with the seats, the inside of the door still seems to be in okay condition, hardly worn at all
Parts of the inside of the vehicle are moldy and rotten and appear to be wasting away
The car in peak condition in the The Hunter with McQueen about to drive somewhat recklessly
The car was put through a lot on the set of The Hunter as McQueen drove it to its limits
It had some time to rest in a field in the film – a taster of the stationery existence it had in store
The auction for the car is due to close on 20 March in Arizona, with the current bid at $6,579 (£5,183) at the time of publishing.
As well as owning a slice of film history, the winning bidder will also receive two cardboard cut-outs of the late star and ‘correspondence’ from Paramount Pictures and Pontiac Historical Services.
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
