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The SHELBY AMERICAN
Winter 2016 3
We will admit to having a soft spot
for Steve McQueen. He was an honest
car guy and the “King of Cool” in the
1960s and 1970s, when there was a lot
of cool going around. So when we saw
that the Nomex driving suit he wore in
“LeMans” was going on the block we
were all ears. Not that we could afford
the Bonham’s Auction estimated value
of $200,000-$300,000. There were ap-
parently three suits used during the
filming and this is the only one known
to still exist. The final sale price, after
a bout of prolonged bidding, was an in-
credible $425,000 (U.S.) Slightly out of
reach for most of us mere mortals.
One of the most memorable scenes
in the film takes place after the race is
over. McQueen’s character, Michael De-
laney, has been battling Ferrari driver
Erich Stahler all season. Delaney’s
Porsche finishes 2nd to the Ferrari’s
3rd. Delaney catches Stahler’s eye and
gives him the English bowman’s salute
to indicate he finished second.
When the English were fighting
the French during the Hundred Years’
War, between 1337 and 1453, English
archers were especially hated and
when one was captured the French cut
off his middle finger so he could not
pull back a bow string again. The Eng-
lish bowmen would taunt the French
by holding up both fingers to show they
still had them. Some believe this was
the origin of the middle finger salute.
THE NAKED TRUTH
It’s a difficult job, but somebody’s got to do it. We received this picture from
SAAC member Colin Comer who claimed no knowledge of the details surround-
ing it. We forwarded it to ‘66 Registrar Howard Pardee, who immediately
launched an investigation. Based on the plate, he determined the serial number
was 6S1214. The car has had five owners since new. Pardee was able to locate
the current owner, Richard Bolyard of Volcano, California. He bought the car
in November of 1971 and after Pardee emailed him this picture he immediately
disavowed any knowledge of the girl on the hood of his car. However, Bolyard’s
wife is the person who runs the computer in their household, so who knows?
Whoever owned the car when the picture was taken may not be too anxious to
reveal any details. We sent the image to several SAAC members we consider
particularly Photostop-savvy and after a close examination of the pixels, their
opinions were that it was most likely a result of some Photoshop work but no
consensus could be reached as to exactly what was modified and what was not.
It could not be determined if the model was actually standing on the hood or
was added to the picture at some point after it was taken. Pardee, indefatigable
as ever, vowed to continue his investigation, “
So help me, for as long as it takes
.”