A Work of Persol

"When I believe in something I fight like hell for it."

-Steve McQueen

I rarely spend more than $10 bucks on eyewear these days. The only specs I need have tinted lenses and I still find ways to chip, crack, break, lose (etc) them.

Today I tried on the Persol PO 714SM Steve McQueen Special Edition. I may have to ante up for a pair.

Get some.

Method and Motorcycles

Warren Beatty cornering on a Triumph.

While cleaning up some old photos on my computer I came across a file titled "random actors on motorcycles". Upon further investigation I realized that they are not really random at all. In fact, they share one important bond aside from their love of speed. That is to say that they are all associated with The Method school of acting.

According to one description:

The “Method” required a performer to draw on his or her own self, on experiences, memories, and emotions that could inform a characterization and shape how a character might speak or move. Characters were thus shown to have an interior life; rather than being stereotyped figures representing a single concept (the villain, the heroine), they could become complex human beings with multiple and contradictory feelings and desires. it was the ability to convey the complexity-indeed the confusion of inner feelings that made the Actors Studio-trained Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and James Dean such emblematic figures for the Postwar era.

So there you have it. Now if I could only rationalize their affinity for Triumphs.

Steve McQueen glides around on his Triumph.

Paul Newman ready for some desert scrambling.

Actor Mickey Rourke on his Kawasaki in this production still from the movie Rumble Fish, 1983.

Marlon Brando lounges atop his Triumph Tiger in this production still from the movie The Wild One, 1953.

James Dean astride his Triumph.

Jack Nicholson in The Rebel Rousers, 1970.

Dennis Hopper rides his customized Panhead in Easy Rider, 1969.

Al Pacino in Paramount's Serpico, 1973. Seen here on a Honda Superhawk CB77.


ca. 2001 — Daniel Day-​​Lewis in Brimmed Hat on Motorcycle — Image by © Steve Smith/​Corbis

In The Pits

My car pulled up lame last night with a bum foot. I nursed it for a mile to the repair shop this morning and walked home. We've all been there at one time or another.

Oh the joys of automobile ownership.

Motorcycle tire change on the Eastern Front during WWII. via

Teenaged boys, who are junior members of the Molesters Club (as indicated by large "M"s sewn on the seats of their pants) rather than using a jack, simply lift the car so that the one pulling on tire can change it. Photo by Nina Leen. LIFE. 1945.

Don't change a tired without gloves, the tire could have ran over sap and could cause Poison Ivy. Photo by Al Fenn. LIFE. 1949.

A pit stop and driver change for the #7 Alfa of Peter Revson and Rolf Stommelen.(Photo by Lou Galanos) via


Steve McQueen in Bullitt. Pretty sure his 'stang needed a tire change after filming this scene! 1968.

Supermodel Angela Lindvall makes a strong case for proper tire maintenance.

TAG Heuer Bonneville

So, Triumph continues to demonstrate to their competitors just how badass of a motorcycle brand they are by announcing the release of this limited edition TAG Heuer/Steve McQueen Bonneville. And it is complete coincidence that this news comes just two days after my Le Mans blog post. What a gorgeous machine.

The full press release and official marketing photos are below:

The TAG Heuer Bonneville features a unique blue and orange livery inspired by the Porsche sports car driven by Steve McQueen’s character in the movie Le Mans, which in turn was the inspiration for TAG Heuer’s 40th anniversary edition of the Monaco.

The association between the two brands comes as a result of their common values and the legacy of McQueen, who was famously linked to both brands.

Neil Morley, Triumph’s Head of Brand Communications, commented: “We are delighted to play our part in this exciting project. The Triumph Bonneville and TAG Heuer Monaco are both timeless masterpieces, celebrating their respective 50th and 40th anniversaries this year. We also both have a natural connection with Steve McQueen, who famously wore a Monaco watch in the film Le Mans and was renowned for his love of our bikes, making this a very natural collaboration.”

The special Triumph Bonneville was unveiled in Paris recently by Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 Formula One world champion and TAG Heuer brand ambassador, and can be seen at various watch shows and TAG Heuer retailers throughout Europe.

The full range of Triumph motorcycles are available at authorized Triumph dealers throughout North America. To find your local Triumph dealer, visit www.TriumphMotorcycles.com.

24 Hours of Le Mans

Lotta people go through life doing things badly. Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.

-Michael Delaney, Le Mans, 1971

The 24 hour racing series at Le Mans tests a man's nerve, his insidious cunning in attaining a goal, and his mettle during times of adversity. This is not just a car movie, it's an operatic spectacle of sights, sounds, and pulsing adrenaline. A gorgeous dialogue between engines at redline and the complex interplay between competing drivers at the top of their game.

Not a movie for the masses (actually it was a flop in theaters and bankrupted McQueen's production company), but for a car junky the 1971 Steve McQueen racer flick, Le Mans, is just. plain. awesome.

Steve McQueen drives his 911S around the race course at the start of the movie.

McQueen's 911S on the streets of France.


Steve McQueen's character, Michael Delaney, buttons up his fireproof racesuit. Serious swagger.


The iconic TAG Heuer 'Monaco' watch prominently displayed as Delaney buckles his helmet.




Steve McQueen in Le Mans.


In the early going McQueen's Gulf Porsche 917 chases the Porsche 917L "long tail" (#25). The car eventually retired from the race with a sick engine.



Delaney's Gulf Porsche 917 (#20) barrels down a straightaway.

Delaney's 917 exits a turn.

Delaney's Porsche 917 (#21) hits an S-turn with the Ferrari 512 (#5) in hot pursuit in last stage of the race. Check out that packed grandstand.

McQueen takes a break during filming.

Steve McQueen posing in front of a Ferrari 512 (#5).

Michael Delaney casts the infamous 'two-fingered salute'.

Steve McQueen and his Great Escape

In the iconic 1963 war movie, The Great Escape, McQueen's character "The Cooler King" carries out one of the most daring motorcycle stunts ever performed on film as he attempts to escape from the Stalag Luft III prison camp.

The bike was meant to be a BMW that he stole from the German prison guards, but in reality was McQueen's own Triumph 650cc Tiger. In a 1966 interview with Popular Science magazine, McQueen explained why he opted to fit a Triumph twin engine to his favorite Rickman-Metisse machine:

"I used a 650cc Triumph engine as a power plant for this bike. The drive train and gearbox are also Triumph. I prefer the big four-stroke engine, but on a light bike."

In 2008, Metisse Motorcycles released a limited edition Metisse Desert Racer fully endorsed by the Steve McQueen estate and featuring his signature on each one of the exact replicas. The bikes are identical to the one that he rode.