Steve McQueen’s Baja 1000 racing Chevy heads to auction

When we think of Steve McQueen, our mind tends to drift to muscle cars — specifically the 1968 Mustang GT from "Bullitt." McQueen, however, was a well-rounded motoring enthusiast, sporting two-wheeled passions as well as four. He also maintained an appetite for trucks, including a 1969 Chevrolet Baja racing pickup that's set to go under the hammer at Mecum's Santa Monica auction next month.

The truck was designed by legendary off-road designer Vic Hickey, and was sold to McQueen in 1970. It made its racing debut in the inaugural Baja 1000 back in 1968, and consists of a C10 chassis with a C30 one-ton cab. McQueen purchased the car as part of a package deal with GM, and held onto the racy truck for just two years. Allegedly, it was sold after divorcing his first wife Neile, an endeavor that cost the car-nut many of his prized machines. The truck spent the next handful of years working as a farm vehicle — a far cry from its racing roots — before it was picked up in 1990 by an off-road enthusiast and relinquished of its chores.