Steve McQueen Auction: First The Car, Now His Jacket For $800,000?

The tweed jacket worn by Steve McQueen in the 1968 classic movie “Bullitt” is being put up for auction in five days (29 July) just a few days after his camper wagon went on the block.

This piece of wearing apparel is a perfect example of the collectability of iconic clothing that is forever associated with its owner. Recent examples of other items worn by famous people that went to auction are Monica Lewinsky’s negligee. and the Levi’s jeans worn in a Star Wars movie by Luke Skywalker.

But, in the sphere of movie memorabilia, Steve McQueen’s “Bullitt”jacket occupies a special place. Maybe that’s because McQueen’s reputation has achieved something like legendary status in the years since his death, especially, for those who are fashion aficionados of his style of dressing.

Or, it maybe it’s because everything about the movie is studied and argued about to this day. The 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390, which was almost the centerpiece of the film, was a great example of P.R. for Ford. And the Heuer watch he wore did great things for watches of that style.

However, the jacket was something special. The auction house, Profiles in History, describes the jacket thus:

“This jacket is the brown herringbone tweed jacket, with suede elbow patches, that was custom made for Hollywood legend Steve McQueen… McQueen wore this jacket throughout the second half of the film. McQueen wears this distinctive jacket while on the hitman’s trail, during the iconic car chase, while riding with Jacqueline Bisset in her yellow Porsche cabriolet in San Mateo, at the police station, in the Coroner’s office and the climactic chase on foot at San Francisco International Airport where ‘Bullitt’ finally kills the mobster and places this jacket over the dead body.”

They say that the jacket comes with a certificate of authenticity from Warner Bros, Studios, and was once exhibited in their movie museum.

The estimate is that the jacket will fetch between $600,000 to $800.000.