I love classic cars, and Steve McQueen drove the coolest ones. His legendary exploits behind the wheel are hard to fathom when you look at today’s wimpier version of movie stars. But McQueen was the real deal and did most of his own stunts. He even nearly won the 12-Hours of Sebring event.

Matt Stone has put together McQueen’s Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon. It’s a great book that discusses the history of most of the cars McQueen owned or drove. The photos are fabulous, and the attention to detail is impressive (including scans of old vehicle titles).

Some of the photos are legendary: McQueen behind the wheel of the Porsche that won Le Mans in 1970, McQueen on the motorcycle from the Great Escape movie, standing by a Rolls Royce with Faye Dunaway from the Thomas Crown movie, and talking with Carroll Shelby as they admire a beautiful Shelby Cobra. Get the idea? The photos alone amaze me … imagining ownership of all those cars and dozens of others makes me jealous!

If you love cars and movies, this is a must have book. Thanks to my amazing wife D’Aun for giving it to me for Christmas!