From time to time, old movie props unexpectedly emerge from the depths of history. In more or less good condition, it should be noted. This is what happened with a Pontiac Trans AM from the last Steve McQueen film "Every Head Has Its Price", or in English "The Hunter".
In the film, McQueen played bounty hunter Ralph Thorson, who was allowed to catch fugitive criminals and deliver them to the authorities completely legally thanks to an old law from the Wild West. In one scene, the movie character flew to Nebraska to capture a pair of brothers. A rental car was needed at the airport, the aforementioned Trans AM.
When they arrived at the brothers' ranch, they snatched the car and accidentally blew it up themselves. Fun fact: in the movie, two Trans AMs were detonated because the first one wasn't spectacular enough.
Harold McQueen comes into play
The scenes in question were filmed in Kankakee, Illinois and Harold McQueen (coincidentally a namesake of Steve) was a local farmer who initially watched the filming as a bystander. At some point, a semi-trailer truck was needed and McQueen made his available. After the end of filming, he drove the second wrecked Trans AM to Chicago Heights, where it eventually ended up in a scrap yard in Indiana. As "payment" for his services on the movie, he was given the other Trans AM. This one was not much more than a wreck.
Pontiac initially wanted to prevent the car from remaining in Harold's possession, as the company was afraid that Harold would repair it and make it roadworthy. This turned out to be a well-founded fear, because that was exactly what Harold had in mind. However, it was never realized and the car disappeared into Harold's barn for a whopping 39 years.
Rediscovery 2017
In 2017, the Harvell brothers remembered the aforementioned Pontiac in Harold's barn. They had grown up in the neighborhood and had learned about the vehicle from Harold's sister. Stan Harvell got in touch with Harold McQueen and asked about the car. It was still in its slumber in the same place. Stan told Harold that he wanted to buy the car and restore it if necessary, and McQueen agreed.
Harvell then contacted Calvin Riggs, owner of Carlyle Motors in Texas, Pontiac enthusiast and restorer of muscle cars, and the two became partners in the car purchase. Officially, however, it seems that Carlyle Motors holds the ownership rights.
In October 2018, the Pontiac was finally collected from Harold McQueen. There are a few pictures of this event in the gallery. The Trans AM is currently on display in the Carlyle Motors office. Calvin Riggs is still collecting information about the vehicle.
The future of the vehicle is still unclear, but a complete restoration is not yet off the table.mAn exhibition is also being considered. According to Riggs, the Pontiac is not for sale at the moment, so it will be interesting to see...
