Steve McQueen's Vintage Camper Heads to Auction

Legendary actor Steve McQueen was known for his love of racing and speed — both on and off the silver screen. He was a serious collector of cars, trucks and motorcycles, and reportedly owned more than 60 rare vehicles. While some were top-of-the-line performance cars, others were more utilitarian in nature, such as the 1952 Chevrolet 3800 pickup truck and custom camper (Lot No. 1292) that will be crossing the block without a minimum price during the 2016 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction.

In a statement on the auction website, Barbara "Minty" McQueen said her late husband often collected trucks on a whim even though they didn't have the parking space at their Trancas Beach home just north of Malibu, Calif.

"Steve's collection of cars and motorcycles cluttered that private driveway, which serviced a row of homes near the beach," she said, "but that didn't stop him from buying whatever he wanted."

McQueen purchased this Forest Green truck in 1978 and mostly used it for cross-country camping trips. The custom camper was built by a sheet-metal fabricator from Yreka, Calif., in October 1952. Made of galvanized metal and aluminum, the camper includes a double bed (with its original mattress), storage cabinets, drawers, shelves and a heavy-duty diamond-plated bumper. It also has a platform on top, providing a prime viewing location from which to view the auto and motorcycle racing events McQueen loved so much.

The Chevy 3800 custom camper will go on the auction block at the 45th Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan. 30. For more information, go to Barrett-Jackson.com.

Steve McQueen's 1952 Chevrolet 3800 camper comes with the original six-cylinder engine, body and frame. Other noteworthy features include a four-speed transmission, 5-gallon gas tanks on the running boards, a driver's-side spotlight and two toolboxes.

This pickup's significance has historical importance: It was the last vehicle to take McQueen from his Santa Paula home to the Ventura County Airport on Nov. 3, 1980, before he headed to Mexico for what would be his final cancer surgery. Accompanying him on that journey was the Rev. Billy Graham.

The Chevy camper was first sold at the Steve McQueen Estate Auction in 1984 at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. The sale at Barrett-Jackson auction will include an original certificate of authenticity from the estate auction signed by Terry and Chad McQueen, as well as auction flyers and a ticket, the original 1959 California license plates and three California title "pink slips" in Steve McQueen's name.

Although a wilderness adventure might be out of the question in this humble camper, it represents a rare opportunity to own a memento from "The King of Cool" himself.

Barrett-Jackson images