Wild story of Steve McQueen's Porsche 917 that Jerry Seinfeld found on a used car lot before rejecting a $25M bid years later

Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917 is one of the coolest cars you will ever see.

But it comes with an even more incredible background story.

That is because iconic comedian and legendary petrol-head, Jerry Seinfeld, found it on a used car lot.

Years later, a $25 million bid was not even enough to buy it at auction.

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Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917 – a bona fide movie star

Okay, so this is one of the most incredible stories you’re ever likely to hear.

And it concerns one of the most iconic racing cars ever built.

Racing fans far and wide are all too aware of the Porsche 917.

Fans of the silver screen will be especially familiar with Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917.

The legendary race car was the star of the iconic 1971 film, Le Mans.

In that film, McQueen plays racer Michael Delaney, driver of the No. 20 Porsche 917K.

It is famous for its legendary Gulf Oil livery that adorns the stunning racing machine.

McQueen’s Porsche 917K, serial no. 022, was purchased from the Porsche factory by McQueen himself.

When filming ended, it was raced with some success in real races by real drivers.

And the backstory to Jerry Seinfeld’s ownership only gets better.

Jerry Seinfeld finds the car – in a used car lot

Following the end of the movie, the car was sold to Reinhold Joest.

Joest took the 917 racing in Europe before selling it on to Richard Attwood in 1975.

Attwood himself actually won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970.

Attwood had the car resprayed in his own former colors before selling it at auction in 2000 for $1.2 million.

Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917 was then re-painted in its original Gulf Oil livery, before ending up in a Los Angeles showroom on Wilshire Boulevard.

That sequence of events brings us up to 2002.

Spike Feresten is an American television writer and a good friend of Jerry Seinfeld.

Feresten happened to spot the car in said showroom one day and mentioned the sighting to his comedian friend.

Interestingly, the dealer invited the pair to Willow Springs race track to see Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917 in action.

Despite one of the wheels falling off, Seinfeld negotiated and bought the car.

Porsche 917 hits the auction block – but $25 million isn’t enough

Right – that’s us about caught up.

And it brings us to the Mecum Auction in January of last year.

Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917, now owned by Jerry Seinfeld, hit the auction block.

Being the star attraction, the racecar gathered a lot of buzz and attention.

In a promotional video ahead of the auction, Seinfeld said, “This is the greatest car I’ve ever owned.”

After six minutes on stage, bidding for the car hit the incredible $25 million mark.

But $25 million still wasn’t enough.

It turns out that the bid still wasn’t enough to meet the listing reserve price.

Boos and cries could be heard as the auctioneer closed the bidding.

It’s hard to imagine this car not attracting enough of a bid to buy it.

Clearly, Steve McQueen’s stature and lore live on.

Perhaps you could be the lucky buyer – but you will apparently need a lot more than $25 million.