The King of Cool’s Lost Prancing Horse: The Unprecedented Auction Debut of Steve McQueen’s 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spider

For four decades, one of the most mythical automobiles in Hollywood and automotive history has remained completely sheltered from the public eye. Tucked away as the crowning centerpiece of a secretive, private New York-based Ferrari collection, a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spider originally delivered new to cinema legend Steve McQueen has existed almost as a ghost story among elite collectors.

Now, for the first time in its storied existence, this legendary Prancing Horse is stepping out of the shadows. Headlining the inaugural Gooding Christie’s Rétromobile New York sale, chassis No. 10453 is set to cross the auction block on November 21, with pre-sale estimates ranging aggressively between $15 million and $20 million.

"Of all the iconic cars owned by Steve McQueen, this has to be the most elusive and mysterious," says David Brynan, senior specialist at Gooding Christie’s, in an interview with Robb Report. "Only shown twice in the past 40 years, and never offered before at auction, the car is as cool as its original owner."

Main Facts: Anatomy of an Automotive Unicorn

To understand the immense gravity of this upcoming sale, one must understand the sheer rarity of the N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team) Spider. Conceived by legendary U.S. Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti, the model was born out of a specific request to Enzo Ferrari for an open-top, stateside successor to the legendary 250 California Spider. Chinetti envisioned a production run of 25 Scaglietti-bodied, V-12-powered convertibles built specifically for the American market. However, due to sluggish initial market demand and shifting trends, production was abruptly halted at just 10 units.

Today, owning a standard 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spider places a collector in an ultra-exclusive club of ten. Owning the specific example commissioned, customized, and thrashed by the definitive "King of Cool" elevates the vehicle from a rare vintage supercar to a piece of American pop-culture iconography.

Bearing chassis No. 10453, this particular car is the sixth N.A.R.T. Spider ever constructed. Beneath its sweeping, hand-formed Italian lines lies a mechanical masterpiece: a Colombo-derived V-12 engine breathing through four overhead camshafts, sending raw power to the rear wheels via a sophisticated transaxle layout. Yet, what truly sets chassis No. 10453 apart from its nine siblings is the intensely personal touch imparted upon it by Steve McQueen himself—modifications that transformed a factory-fresh Italian exotic into a personalized hot rod tailored to a Hollywood icon’s exacting specifications.

Chronology: From Silver Screen Inspiration to Four Decades of Secrecy

The history of McQueen’s N.A.R.T. Spider is a sweeping tale of cinematic romance, Southern California speed, unexpected misfortune, and decades of quiet curation.

The Hollywood Genesis

McQueen’s fascination with the model began on the set of the 1968 classic film The Thomas Crown Affair. During production, a brand-new N.A.R.T. Spider was utilized on set. In one of the film’s memorable moments, lead actress Faye Dunaway’s character drives the car, casually dismissing it as "one of those red Italian things." McQueen, an avid car enthusiast and racer who did his own driving stunts, fell hopelessly in love with the car’s aggressive proportions, open-air layout, and symphonic V-12 exhaust note.

Acting swiftly, McQueen placed an order directly through Luigi Chinetti. The car, originally finished in a striking metallic blue known as Blu Sera, was delivered to the actor via Hollywood Sports Cars in Los Angeles.

Customizing the Icon

According to exhaustive historical research conducted by David Brynan, McQueen arrived to take delivery of his new Italian thoroughbred accompanied by his close friend Lee Brown, a talented body shop owner. Upon laying eyes on the car for the first time, McQueen delivered an assessment that would alter the car’s aesthetic forever: "I really don’t like this shade of blue. Can we change it?"

Brown immediately set to work, repainting the car in a much deeper, moodier shade of dark blue. Beyond the paint, McQueen commissioned a series of bespoke modifications designed to give the Spider a more aggressive, race-bred appearance and enhanced utility. Brown installed an external fuel filler cap, reupholstered the interior seats with custom stitching and added side bolstering for high-speed cornering support, and modified the dashboard radio surround. In a bold move that shocked purists, the stock bumpers were completely removed to give the front and rear ends a clean, track-ready aesthetic, accompanied by a subtle modification to the rear spoiler.

The Malibu Shunt

McQueen wasted no time putting the V-12 engine through its paces, famously thrashing the convertible along Southern California’s winding asphalt ribbons, including the Pacific Coast Highway and the sweeping curves of Mulholland Drive.

However, the car’s carefree era came to an abrupt, metallic halt. While idling at a Malibu stoplight, McQueen was violently rear-ended by a distracted truck driver. The impact pushed the Ferrari forward, slamming it into the rear of a vehicle stopped ahead of it, resulting in significant front- and rear-end damage.

Impatient with the repair timelines at traditional shops, a frustrated McQueen immediately drove off and purchased a brand-new 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 coupe to tide himself over. Meanwhile, the damaged Spider was towed to Hershel “Junior” Conway’s renowned House of Color repair shop, where master craftsmen painstakingly restored the coachwork.

Changing Hands and Finding Sanctuary

By the time the repairs were fully completed, McQueen’s automotive passions had shifted toward the world of Porsche racing. In 1971, he parted ways with the N.A.R.T. Spider, selling it to J. David Kopf, an entrepreneur and fellow racer based in Tujunga, California. Historical documentation, including a photograph unearthed by researchers, captures the car at a 1971 car show at the Hollywood Bowl shortly after Kopf’s acquisition, confirming that it still wore McQueen’s preferred dark blue finish.

Kopf retained the car until 1985, when it was sold to Grand Prix SSR, a New York-based Ferrari specialist. The team at Grand Prix SSR oversaw a comprehensive repaint, returning the car to its original, factory-correct Blu Sera hue.

The following year, in 1986, the car found its way into the hands of its current custodian: prominent computer software executive and world-class Ferrari collector Anthony Wang, then-president of CA Technologies. Wang is universally recognized in the collecting community for assembling one of the most jaw-dropping stables of vintage Prancing Horses in existence, a collection that has featured a pair of 250 GTOs, an ultra-rare 250 Testa Rossa, and a pristine 250 California Spider. Wang’s commitment to pedigree was further underscored this past August, when he parted ways with his exceptionally rare 1963 Ferrari 250 P race car through Gooding Christie’s Monterey auction, where it commanded a staggering $18.7 million.

Supporting Data: The Economics of N.A.R.T. Spiders

To contextualize the $15 million to $20 million pre-sale estimate for chassis No. 10453, one must examine the rarified financial ecosystem of Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spiders at public auction.

Because only 10 units were ever manufactured by Scaglietti, they are among the most tightly held assets in the collector car market. When they do exchange hands, market records routinely shatter expectations.

• The Movie Star Car (2005): The actual N.A.R.T. Spider featured in The Thomas Crown Affair was sold by Gooding Christie’s in 2005, fetching $3.96 million—which, at the time, set a monumental world record for a production Ferrari sold at auction.
• The Eddie Smith Sr. Car (2013): The absolute high-water mark for the model occurred in 2013, when RM Sotheby’s offered a red 1967 example originally purchased new by Eddie Smith Sr., the former mayor of Lexington, North Carolina. Benefiting from single-family ownership for decades and pristine preservation, the car hammered down for a phenomenal $27.5 million, with proceeds donated to charity.
• The McQueen Factor (2025/2026): While the Smith car commanded $27.5 million due to its pristine, single-owner provenance, the upcoming sale of chassis No. 10453 brings a completely different, highly volatile value driver: the "King of Cool" provenance combined with total public obscurity for the past 40 years.

Official Responses: What the Experts Say

The announcement of the sale has sent ripples of excitement through the global classic car community, marking a watershed moment for the newly expanded Gooding Christie’s partnership.

"This car is unlike any of the other N.A.R.T. Spiders, not just because of its Steve McQueen ownership—which itself is a huge draw—but also because it has been out of the public eye for so long, and has never been offered at auction before," reiterates David Brynan. "It is a collector’s dream."

Automotive historians and market analysts note that cars with direct, documented celebrity provenance—particularly those associated with cultural titans who actively engaged with and modified their vehicles, like McQueen, Paul Newman, or James Dean—possess an intrinsic value that transcends standard market metrics. They do not merely trade on mechanical condition or rarity; they trade on the romance of an era when driving was an untamed, visceral adventure.

Implications: A Defining Moment for the High-End Collector Market

The auction of Steve McQueen’s 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T. Spider on November 21 carries significant implications for the upper echelon of the collector car market.

1. A Test of Market Resilience: In recent years, the ultra-high-end vintage car market has experienced shifts as buyers become increasingly selective, prioritizing flawless provenance, historical significance, and uncompromised authenticity above all else. The performance of chassis No. 10453 will serve as a definitive litmus test for the health of the multi-million-dollar tier of the hobby.
2. The Rise of the New York Sale: By positioning this legendary vehicle as the headline act for the first-ever Gooding Christie’s Rétromobile New York sale, the auction house is signaling a strategic pivot to capture the attention of global wealth hubs, bridging European-style heritage events with American financial capitals.
3. The End of an Era of Secrecy: For forty years, this car existed as a whisper among insiders, safely shielded within Anthony Wang’s private New York collection. Its emergence onto the public stage marks the closing chapter of a decades-long hibernation. Whether it returns to public exhibition or vanishes back into a private climate-controlled garage after the gavel falls, November 21 will forever alter the recorded history of chassis No. 10453.

When the hammer drops in New York, the automotive world will watch to see which billionaire collector or institution secures the keys to the most elusive Prancing Horse of our time—proving once and for all that while cars may change hands, true cool never fades.