McQUEEN ISDT TRIUMPH WORDS: MICK DUCKWORTH. PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVIDO CHIPOLATA WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE,... STEVE MCQUEEN? McQueen’s ride in the 1964 International Six Days Trial has become part of motorcycling folklore. This replica of his modified Triumph Trophy TR6 is a chance to step into Harvey Mushman’s* shoes and blast some trails *McQueen’s COMPETITION ALIAS 45 McQUEEN ISDT TRIUMPH ◗ Ace Classics’ ◗ Just like Steve’s attention to detail fix-it-quick kit is thorough (minus axe) teve McQueen once said he familiar with the 650cc twin, which was didn’t know if he was an actor named in celebration of Triumph’s ISDT who raced, or a racer who successes and had been America’s favourite acted. Whichever was closer to desert sled since the mid-Fifties. His 1964 S the truth, his passion for motors model – basically built to East Coast TR6C and speed was definitely seated deep in his spec, with wide-ratio gears, battery-less psyche. And off-road riding became one of his ignition, silencing and lights – was registered greatest loves after he bought a 500cc in the UK as BNX 822B. The bike has ‘McQueen was familiar with Triumph from veteran scrambler and enduro become part of McQueen iconography and Meriden’s 650cc twin, which had expert Bud Ekins. McQueen threw himself survives in private hands in America. into the Californian desert racing scene, But now there is another BNX 822B. To been America’s favourite desert which appealed to his lust for adventure. promote the latest armoured version of its It was Ekins who encouraged McQueen to traditional thorn-proof suit, clothing sled since the mid-Fifties’ compete in the 1964 International Six Days company Barbour commissioned Triumph Trial. A seasoned ‘desert fox’, Ekins had raced twin specialist Ace Classics to build a replica in UK scrambles and European motocross in of McQueen’s Trophy. The Hi-fi Scarlet and the early Fifties, pioneering US involvement in Silver Sheen beauty was built with many new the European-based ‘Olympics of “I RODE AGAINST components around a 1964 Trophy frame. Motorcycling’. In his first ISDT in 1961, he It carries numerous special ISDT fitments – won a Silver Medal – then went one better in MCQUEEN IN THE and to get them correct, reference was made ’62 with his first Gold, in West Germany. 1964 ISDT” to photographs in 40 Summers Ago, the 2004 In that year, McQueen was on location in John Giles (pictured above on a pictorial book by Rin Tanaka and Sean Kelly Germany shooting The Great Escape. 500 Triumph in ’63) was that documents McQueen and the US team’s Spectacular motorcycling scenes – including Britain’s top performer in the East German venture. the iconic leap of a barbed wire fence by 1964 ISDT, winning the 750cc On the original bike, some fittings – McQueen’s character Captain Virgil Hilts – class: “McQueen would play to including the essential QD rear wheel option, were included at his suggestion. Ekins, who the gallery and bugger about,” tommy bars for the wheel spindles and wide had become a close friend and mentor, was John says. “He’d come alongside called in as a consultant and his jump over the and shout: ‘Hey John!’ But I wire was used in the final cut. couldn’t muck about – we were After winning another ISDT Gold Medal in there to win for Britain.” Czechoslovakia in ’63, Ekins organised the With a shared language and in first national entry for an American team in some cases similar machinery, the Silver Vase (the secondary team the Brits and Americans hung competition to the event’s top accolade, the out together when not riding: World Trophy) at the ’64 ISDT, hosted by East “The East German facilities were Germany. The US team consisted of Ekins, his good, with first aid posts every brother Dave, Hollywood production man couple of miles, and eye Cliff Coleman and McQueen himself, who specialists checked you each helped finance the venture. Off-road parts day. But police were everywhere specialist John Steen was team reserve. The and locals could get into trouble challenge of the 1000-mile marathon, with its if you mixed with them. We gave tight schedules and demanding special tests, the fruit we were issued with to appealed to McQueen’s intrepid spirit – as did kids, who didn’t know to peel it.” visiting a communist country two years after In the premier Trophy contest, the Cuban missile crisis. Great Britain finished second to Ekins put his strong links with Triumph to East Germany. Both teams lost good effect by arranging for West Coast no marks. “We heard years later distributor Johnson Motors to buy suitable that fiddles went on,” John adds. machines from the Meriden factory. As teams “We had suspicions when an had to ride in more than one capacity class, the East German bike that was order was for two 650cc TR6 Trophys (for rattling really badly at the end McQueen and Coleman) plus three 500cc of one day came out of the parc ◗ If you go down to ◗ Helping make waxed cotton cooler than it has T100SC Sports Tigers for the others. The fermé next morning running the woods today... any right to be – McQueen between stages Trophy was a natural choice. McQueen was like a dream...” you’ll kick this into life and have a blast 46 47 McQUEEN ISDT TRIUMPH ‘Kicking the twin into life yields a full-throated roar that promises grunt, and the freshly-rebuilt ◗ Silencer’s pragmatic modification is historically accurate ◗ ‘Left at the Little Chef roundabout, on past Waitrose...’ engine duly delivers’ engine protector plates – were put on at Meriden, while not unlike the fire roads that he was familiar with in other modifications were carried out at Comerfords, the forests back home. His A team still had good the competition specialist dealer in Surrey. After prospects for Gold Medals the next day, which was not collecting the bikes from the Midlands, the Americans so wet, although the B team was no longer complete set up camp at the shop to tailor the machines to their and out of the running for a Vase award. requirements, with Ekins enlisting help from his friend The sun came out on the third day, drying much of and off-road machine expert Eric Cheney. The team the course. McQueen, who thrilled onlookers with his also practiced changing a tyre in under four minutes. spirited riding, was brought off the bike when he hit a Ace Classics have replicated the ex-Comerfords large rock which flattened his exhaust pipe. In true condition, with registration plates moved from the frontiersman style, he borrowed a woodsman’s axe and front mudguard to the forks and tools strapped to gashed a hole in the pipe. Valuable minutes had been McQueen’s preferred cross-braced handlebars as well lost, so he pressed on hard. Carrying one of the highest as the frame downtube. Also faithfully reproduced are numbers, he was now the last rider on the course and a zip-fastener for storage in the rear of the dual seat was tearing along a narrow track when he saw a young and a tank-top route map holder, both originally moped rider coming towards him. To avoid collision, crafted by Cheney’s wife Judy. Regulation ISDT he veered off the path and hit a tree, breaking a goggle numberplates copy those obtained from accessory king lens and cutting his cheek. The Trophy’s fork Ted Wassell, the US team’s manager. stanchions were badly bent. A dejected McQueen “Some parts were tricky to find,” says Cliff managed to make it back to base but his trial was over. Rushworth of Ace Classics. “But the hardest part of a Meanwhile, on the same day, Ekins caught his leg on job like this is finding a good donor bike.” a wall after missing a gear. He struggled to finish the Whilst in England the American team, plus a few day with no marks lost, but had to pull out of day four friends and McQueen’s stand-in double, had the run of due to a broken bone. The Vase team award was now a big house in west London. American photographer out of reach, but Cliff Coleman and Dave Ekins kept Richard Avedon shot a feature for Vogue with going for the remaining three days to collect individual McQueen, which included the famous photo of the star Gold Medals, with John Steen winning Silver. riding his Trophy on the street helmet-less, with one The boys at Ace Classics deserve some kind of medal hand behind his back. On Ekins’ recommendation, for their BNX 822B replica, too. Just like the original, McQueen bought a Barbour trials suit. it’s a robust, purely functional motorcycle – there are The team and their bikes travelled to the event’s base no tank knee-grips and the footrests are bare steel with at Erfurt in a van provided by Stroud Triumph dealer turned-up ends. The Siamese exhaust system’s short, H&L, followed by Wassell in his Jaguar. On arrival he tipped-up silencer has been brutally recessed to clear found he’d also be in charge of a US Vase B team of the kickstart lever – no points were given for prettiness expatriate Americans on various two-strokes. or polish in the ISDT. It’s a bike that begs to be ridden. The ISDT provided a free spectacle in early Kicking it into life yields a full-throated roar that September for local inhabitants and no doubt some promises grunt, and the freshly-rebuilt engine duly younger residents would be aware of the Hollywood delivers over the bumps, hollows and tree roots of our star in their midst.