Photograph courtesy Porsche Corporate Archives
For the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 1970, the ranks of Porsche featured an entry from Solar Productions, co-driven by the man himself. Steve McQueen was reportedly using Sebring to acclimatise himself for his forthcoming film on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which would use real footage from the 1970 edition in June. Sports car and motorcycle fanatic McQueen had been prevented by his insurers from doing much of the stunt driving in Peter Yates’ Bullitt two years earlier. For his own production he was determined to play a more central role behind the wheel.
At Sebring, McQueen’s partner in the Solar Productions 908/02 Spyder was Peter Revson, a top-flight racer both in sports cars and, as he later proved, in F1. It would become a race of attrition as the bumpy airfield circuit took its toll. The leading 917s succumbed to hub failures and the Ferrari 512s that took over suffered either mechanical problems or punctures. A mere 28 of 62 starters would finish. In the closing laps, Mario Andretti, who had taken over the last surviving works 512 from Ignazio Giunti, just managed to overhaul the Solar Productions 908 that Revson was driving.