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Joe Caputo
154 articles

A Tribute to Steve McQueen

November 24, 2013 · in Automotive · · 11 · 1.6K

This model started life as a 1/12th "" custom chopper. Using my 1/18th Porsche 917, Steve McQueen Le Mans version (die cast) as an inspiration, I got the idea to transfer it to a chopper as a "tribute" bike. I did a little work on the side cover, oil filte and adding a "917" like wing, on the tail. I made the handle bars to try to give it more of a competition look. I mixed both the "Gulf" blue and orange colors to get what I thought looked right. I was happy with the way it turned out overall, me not being a bike builder. I pretty much got what I was after.

Reader reactions:
4  Awesome

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11 responses

  1. Nice Joe, different, but in my opinion a lovely tribute to the man.

  2. Nice work Joe, I like a good custom job on a bike! The gulf colour scheme is always a classic on a race car, but I've never seen it done on a bike. Nice idea.

  3. Cool idea for a cool guy, and beautifully executed, Joe, not sure if I'd like to spend 24 hours on it though!

  4. Nice idea as a tribute. Where imagination and skills come together to create something new.

  5. Joe,
    Beautiful. Had to love McQeen. He was the man. Did a little bit of traffic control during parts of the "Bullet" chase. Never met him but knew some of the cops and deputies in the film. FYI, if one was to follow that chase scene, it was not connected. But it was good.

  6. Joe, did you buy those paints by the gallon?

  7. Hey Joe, I love it, you should get in touch with Orange county choppers for a job ! .Steve Mc queen the coolest American ever even cooler than Fonzie,
    you should've called the Cooler king.
    Cheers N.

  8. Love it. A great tribute to the "Cooler King" !

  9. LeMans is one of my favorite movies. Your chopper relates well to the movie & is well done.
    Do you have one of those race car beds with a bedspread done in Gulf colors?

  10. What a cool idea. I love that colour scheme - enough to select it as the ci colours of my company. Thinking about a ME109 in gulf camouflage ...

    • Thanks Halvar. I've seen a drawing of the Me-110 on a "whiffie" site. A friend is doing a 1/72 A-26 in those colors too. I have at least 8 different slot cars in those colors (no Porsche 917). It's a striking scheme that looks good on just about everything.

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