Steve McQueen Memorabilia to Be Auctioned in LA 10/25

Neile McQueen Toffel (aka Neile Adams), the former Mrs. Steve McQueen, will be auctioning memorabilia and personal effects of her late husband, the legendary actor and movie star icon, Steve McQueen, at Bonhams & Butterfields auction, entitled Classic California and the "King of Cool," to be held at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 25, 2008.  In addition to the auction itself, Neile McQueen Toffel (aka Neile Adams), will also be involved with the 25th Anniversary Love Ride, part of California Bike Week, to be held on Sunday, October 26, 2008, with Jay Leno presiding as Grand Marshal.

Bonhams & Butterfields' annual vintage motorbike, custom car and sports-racing collectibles auction at LA's Petersen Auto Museum – now referred to as the "Classic California" sale -- features a wonderful assemblage of desirable early Steve McQueen memorabilia from the collection of his first wife, Neile McQueen Toffel (aka Neile Adams), as well as property from noted private and institutional collections culled from across the globe.  The eagerly anticipated auction takes place in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 25, 2008.

To Steve McQueen fans and motorbike and car collectors, the Bonhams & Butterfields Fall sale is a must-attend event.  Each of the last three annual auctions has featured select McQueen-owned and raced motorbikes, cars and collectibles – and each multi-million dollar sale has set world auction records and generated international interest.  The Saturday afternoon auction is the traditional kick-off for the Love Ride, the world's largest one-day motorcycle charity fundraiser, celebrating its 25th year on Sunday, October 26th, 2008 -- part of California Bike Week.
 
For 2008, bidders will vie for Steve McQueen's first racing trophy (an engraved tankard expected to bring $2,000 to $4,000) and other early racing awards.  The poster noting McQueen being honored by the Porsche Club of America could bring as much as $2,000, and several firearms used by the inveterate hunter should attract interest.  Original signed contracts and documents for Bullitt (1968), Papillion (1973) and other early McQueen movies and productions will be offered along with signed letters and notes written to the McQueens by their famous friends – from Barbra Streisand and Sammy Davis Jr., racing legend Sir Stirling Moss, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, and fellow thespians Paul Newman, Janet Leigh, Debbie Reynolds and Rock Hudson, to name just a few. 
 
McQueen's Buddha figure gold cufflinks were a gift from the legendary Bob Hope (est. $1,000/2,000) and never-before seen photographs depict the McQueens poolside, at home and on location.  The actor's Chinese visa, which displays his passport-sized photo and signature, was carried by McQueen while he filmed Sand Pebbles in 1965 (est. $2/4,000).  Additional lots include personal and household items, some of which were featured in select McQueen films.
 
These desirable Steve McQueen items stem from the collection of Neile McQueen Toffel (known on stage as Neile Adams), McQueen's first wife.  Adams, a Broadway performer, met the man who'd become "The King of Cool" while she appeared on Broadway in The Pajama Game in 1956.  McQueen was acting on Broadway too and the couple quickly fell in love and wed on November 2, 1956.  They relocated to the West Coast and had two children together, a daughter Terry and a son Chad.  Adams elected to put her own career on hold (she'd signed with MGM in 1957) to raise their children.  The McQueens were one of the "Royal Couples of Hollywood" until their divorce in 1972.  In 1986, Adams wrote her best seller My Husband, My Friend (AuthorHouse), re-released in 2006, about her life with Steve McQueen.  She has recorded four albums and continues to perform in live cabaret shows in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.  She's performed in early October 2008, at The Metropolitan Room at Gotham in New York City with her autobiographical cabaret show, appropriately titled Something Cool!

Other auction highlights on the block for the "Classic California" sale include vintage advertising signage on tin and modern marketing devices designed with neon lighting.  Original artworks depicting famous races and marques will attract collectors, and custom cars and vintage motorbikes will be the focus of competitive bidding throughout the auction. 

Last year, in its fifth annual offering, Bonhams & Butterfields sold more than $2.2-million to collectors and motoring aficionados assembled at the Petersen Automotive Museum, with highlights including McQueen motorbikes, Von Dutch memorabilia, a bike from the collection of Clark Gable and several from the Estate of Charles Bronson, among many others.

Additional highlights will be announced soon. For more information, see: www.bonhams.com/us.  To learn more about the Love Ride and California Bike Week, go to www.loveride.org. To learn more about Neile Adams and her life with the "King of Cool," go to www.myhusbandmyfriend.com. 
 
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK.  In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America and in August 2003, Goodmans, a leading Australian fine art and antiques auctioneer with salerooms in Sydney, joined the Bonhams Group of Companies.  Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further seven throughout the UK.  Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas.  For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com. (01-08)  For other press releases, go to www.bonhams.com/press.

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