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Steve McQueen’s Chevy Blazer Purchased From Newspaper Ad Is Now Worth a Fortune

Steve McQueen, America’s cool, anti-hero back in the 1960s and 70s, used to race and collect all sorts of vehicles, including a green Chevy Blazer.

And decades after his death, impressive pieces of the McQueen collection still are making it to auction. Those who love buying vintage cars love putting down big money to own something McQueen once touched.

Later this month, one of McQueen’s old Chevy Blazers, an SUV he might have never driven, will be included in the Mecum Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis. The auction features 3,000 consignments. According to the auction site, the automobiles range from rare muscle cars to modern, boutique builds.

Then there’s the 1970 forest green Chevy Blazer K5 CST, which the owner bought for $1,800 after seeing a Penny Saver ad for it in 1971. Bob Bianchi had no idea who the original owner of the Blazer was back in 1971. The Blazer went for about $3,600 new, so the price was a good one.

Bianchi’s son told Fox News that some research revealed that the original owner was Solar Productions. That was Steve McQueen’s company. Solar bought five Blazers to use as support vehicles when McQueen competed in the Baja 1000 off road race. No one was sure if McQueen ever drove this particular Blazer. But just being in the general vicinity of Steve McQueen upped the cool factor and the overall value.

This Steve McQueen Blazer Could Fetch $375,000 at Auction

Bianchi kept the Blazer in the family all these years. But Bob died in 2020. Before his death, he told his sons what he wanted done with the Blazer.

“It’s synonymous with my dad,” Justin Bianchi told Fox. “Everybody knows the Blazer and my dad.”

The Blazer, which is in excellent shape, is worth up to $375,000. Given how much it costs to maintain and insure the Blazer, the family decided to sell it. The sons are considering using the money to build three replicas of the Blazer.

Steve McQueen owned all sorts of vehicles, including 200 motorcycles and a Chevy Blazer. (Getty Images)

Back in 2020, one of the green Mustangs Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt sold for an incredible price at auction. It commanded a price of $3.74 million at a Mecum Auction, making it the most expensive Mustang ever sold.

One of McQueen’s many motorcycles also went up for auction last year. It was his 1968 Husqvarna Viking 360. And McQueen might’ve loved it best of all since reportedly it was the first Husqvarna dirt bike he ever bought, He loved to race dirt bikes and often competed in a 500-mile race through the Mojave desert. He’d compete under the name Harvey Mushman.

Sadly, McQueen was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 1978. It’s a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. McQueen could’ve exposed to asbestos while racing. It was in his suit. He also wondered whether he was exposed to asbestos when he served in the Marines or was on a movie set.

McQueen died in 1980. He went to Juarez, Mexico, for an experimental surgery. He died from heart failure hours after the surgery..

But Steve McQueen lives on through his movies and through his collection of vehicles, including a green Chevy Blazer.

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