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The Unstoppable Drive of a Generation: Re-Exploring Steve McQueen and His Legendary 1957 Jaguar XKSS
In the pantheon of 20th-century icons, few figures command the same electric aura as Steve McQueen. He was more than an actor; he was a cultural force, a man whose every action—whether on screen or behind the wheel—seemed to vibrate with an untamed, kinetic energy. To this day, nearly four decades after his passing, McQueen’s legend continues to captivate, pulling us back into a world of high-octane drama, raw masculinity, and a restless pursuit of the next thrill.
McQueen’s life was a tapestry woven with stark contrasts. Emerging from a childhood marked by neglect, foster homes, and the profound dyslexia that made formal learning an uphill battle, he carved out a path to stardom through sheer grit and an almost magnetic presence. He was the quintessential anti-hero: a man capable of both deep warmth and volatile temper, a rebel who nonetheless yearned for the structure he never had. His contemporaries—Newman, Brando, Garner—defined an era of rugged American masculinity, but McQueen possessed a unique, smoldering edge that set him apart. As actress Faye Dunaway once mused, he was “the misunderstood bad boy you’re sure you can cure with a little warmth and some home cooking.”
Yet, beyond the Hollywood allure, there was a deep, abiding passion that fueled his very soul: the machine. Cars and motorcycles were not mere accessories to McQueen; they were extensions of his personality, vehicles through which he expressed his spirit. From the iconic bond with the ship’s steam engine in The Sand Pebbles to the adrenaline-fueled sequences in Bullitt and Le Mans, his on-screen performances invariably showcased his genuine affinity for speed and engineering. His personal collection, a legendary hoard of over 100 motorcycles and dozens of cars, reflected a lifelong quest for the perfect driving experience. And at the very heart of this collection sat a machine that embodied his very essence: the 1957 Jaguar XKSS, chassis number XK.SS.713.
The Bloodline of a Legend: Tracing the Jaguar D-Type Legacy
To understand the significance of McQueen’s XKSS, one must first appreciate the pedigree of its ancestor: the Jaguar D-Type. In the fiercely competitive landscape of 1950s motorsports, Jaguar was a dominant force, its sleek, powerful machines carving their names into racing history. While Ferrari commanded respect and Aston Martin and Maserati occasionally flexed their muscles, it was Coventry’s XK-powered racers that repeatedly conquered the world’s most demanding circuits.
The D-Type, born from the crucible of competition, was a masterpiece of engineering and aesthetics. Developed in the early 1950s and campaigned by the factory team from 1954 to 1956, it represented a bold departure from traditional automotive design. Its revolutionary semi-monocoque chassis, with the engine housed in a tubular frame and the cockpit integrated into a stressed aluminum tub, was decades ahead of its time. This innovative construction, combined with the robust and potent 3.4-liter Jaguar XK engine—producing a race-ready 250 horsepower—allowed the D-Type to achieve speeds previously unimaginable for a front-engine sports racer.
Beyond its technical prowess, the D-Type was a visual symphony. Its low-slung, aerodynamic body, the product of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons and aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer’s genius, seemed sculpted by the wind itself. With its signature dorsal fin, graceful curves, and purpose-built cockpit, the D-Type was not merely a race car; it was automotive art. Its success was undeniable, with the factory team securing an unprecedented hat-trick of victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955, 1956, and 1957, alongside countless other triumphs in Europe and the United States.
From Race Track to Road: The Genesis of the XKSS
Despite its on-track dominance, the D-Type’s reign was destined to be relatively brief. By the late 1950s, evolving racing regulations and the emergence of more powerful competitors began to challenge its supremacy. The introduction of the 3.0-liter engine displacement limit for the 1958 season further hampered the D-Type’s competitiveness against the likes of Ferrari’s formidable Testa Rossa and Aston Martin’s potent racers.
Faced with a surplus of unsold D-Types, Jaguar sought an innovative solution. The idea, now widely attributed to a visionary engineer, was to convert these formidable racing machines into street-legal grand tourers. The transformation was comprehensive yet respectful of the car’s racing heritage. A full-width windscreen replaced the aeroscreen, transforming the driver’s view. A conventional top, though often rudimentary, was added, and a luggage rack was grafted onto the rear deck, replacing the striking dorsal fin. Removable side curtains, side-exit exhausts (carefully shielded to prevent singed calves), and a full lighting package completed the conversion.
The result was the Jaguar XKSS—a machine that offered the thrill of a Le Mans winner with the relative civility required for public roads. A total of 16 XKSS models were produced, each a rare jewel in the automotive world. However, the story of XKSS 713, the very car that would become synonymous with Steve McQueen, takes a fortuitous turn. According to Jaguar historian Phil Porter, chassis 569, originally intended as a race-ready D-Type, was later converted into XKSS 713.
The Star on Sunset Boulevard: A Star Finds Its Soulmate
The journey of XKSS 713 began in April 1957, when it was imported to North America by Jaguar Cars. Despite being destined for the U.S. market, it arrived as a right-hand-drive model, a curious quirk of its origins. Its first owner was James Peterson, a building contractor in Altadena, California, with deep ties to the burgeoning motorsports scene—he was involved in the construction of the legendary Riverside International Raceway.
Peterson soon passed the XKSS to Bill Leyden, a local radio and television personality. It was on the studio lot of Leyden’s show on Sunset Boulevard that the car first captured the imagination of a young man on the cusp of superstardom. Accounts vary, but most agree that Steve McQueen first laid eyes on the Jaguar in 1958 and, recognizing a kindred spirit in the machine, acquired it shortly thereafter. The purchase price, according to biographer Christopher Sandford, was a mere $4,000—a steal for a car that was already a legend.
McQueen wasted no time imprinting his personality onto the XKSS. He commissioned a repaint in the classic British Racing Green, a color that perfectly complemented the car’s voluptuous curves. Renowned hot-rodder and upholsterer Tony Nancy retrimmed the interior in black leather, creating a cockpit that was both luxurious and functional. Perhaps the most telling modification was the addition of a metal glovebox door, fabricated by the legendary pinstriper Von Dutch. This seemingly minor detail served a critical purpose: to prevent McQueen’s sunglasses from flying out during his notorious high-speed runs along Mulholland Drive.
Affectionately nicknamed the “Green Rat,” the XKSS became McQueen’s constant companion. Photos from the era show him working on the car himself, a testament to his hands-on approach to his machines. He would spend hours fettling the engine, adjusting the carburettors, and ensuring every nut and bolt was perfect. This was not a car he simply owned; it was a car he lived with.
The Green Rat’s tenure with McQueen was extensive, though not without interruption. In the late 1960s or early 1970s, he sold the car to the legendary collector William F. Harrah, under the condition that it remain on permanent display at his Harrah’s Auto Collection in Reno. However, a decade later, the siren call of the XKSS proved too strong to ignore. McQueen spent two years negotiating for its return, eventually repurchasing the car and keeping it until the very end of his life.
Mulholland Drive: Where the Legend Was Forged
To truly appreciate the significance of Steve McQueen’s Jaguar XKSS, one must journey to the place where its legend was forged: Mulholland Drive. This iconic ribbon of pavement, winding along the crest of the Hollywood Hills, was McQueen’s personal playground. From his home on Solar Drive, just minutes away, he and a select group of friends would venture out in the dead of night, seeking the solitude and curves that few other roads could offer.
Between the witching hours of midnight and 4 a.m., Mulholland would come alive with the sound of high-performance engines. McQueen, often with a cigarette dangling from his lips and his right hand draped casually over the steering wheel, would put the Green Rat through its paces. The car’s raucous exhaust note—a throaty, race-bred gurgle from the side-exit pipes—would echo through the canyons, a familiar signal to those who knew what it meant. As Petersen Automotive Museum director Dick Messer, one of the car’s current caretakers, recalls: “People who lived up in the Hollywood Hills would hear the Jag coming and say ‘Yep, there goes McQueen.’ The Jag was his favorite.”
Driving the XKSS on Mulholland today is a visceral experience that bridges the gap between past and present. The car’s compact cockpit immediately commands
