Old Fart Club initiation test

[fastwin]

Damn good flics for sure. Did McQueen make any bad movies? Loved the semi-documentary feel of Le Mans and the grand Hollywood epic style of Grand Prix.

You know McQueen bought that 908/2 personally and got Peter Revson to co drive with him against all the factory Ferraris, Fords and Porsches in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1970. They were winning when two laps before the end Mario Andretti passed him and won. It was a win at all costs driving chore for Andretti, the Ferrari factory didn't want to be beat by some punk ass Hollywood actor's car.

He also raced the car that year in real 24 Hours of Le Mans race with cameras mounted on it (pretty hi-tech and cool back then!) and used that real life race footage in the movie! Pretty damn neat!!

More Old Fart crap... time for my nap.

[Texmonster]

It wasn't daytona, Steve won at Daytona with Pridmore right behind him.  No clue about motocross, never was a fan, but I should get points for owning no few than THREE R90S's ( and 1 R90/6 ).

let's see:

1971 Suzuki T500 two stroke
1975 R90S ( awesome bike, and still one of my favorite motorcycle times of my life )
1976 R90/6
1975 R90S ( bought it in bad shape, sold it in worse shape.  by the time I sold it, the cyclinder heads were 90% JB Weld )
197x Benelli Sei ( never ran  )
1973 Moto Guzzi T3, Police Edition ( sort of like a volkswagen with handlebars, but it was fun )
1971 Triumph Trident ( rarely ran, but was very very fun )
195x Harley Panhead ( I think.  bought it in a box, sold it in the same box )
1976 R90S ( tricked out with dual ported heads, was still very slow )
1994 R1100RS
2001 K1200RS
2006 Ducati 999

How old are you? I thought you were close to my age... If you were riding a motorbike in 1971 you certainly are hiding your age well, heres to you my friend..

[NorDog]

"Damn good flics for sure. Did McQueen make any bad movies?"

I heard his very last film was a stinker.  I think it was some Chekov play.

"Towering Inferno" maybe?

And then there's "Bullit".  LOVE the car sequences.  None better in film imo.  But the STORY!  What was that?

The jury's still out on "The Blob".

My all time bit of film is the motorcycle jump in "The Great Escape".  I have a picture of it on my wall above my desk.

[svoloch]

the jump wasn't really McQueen.

[♣ McKraut ♣]

the jump wasn't really McQueen.

bush league!

[fastwin]

the jump wasn't really McQueen.

Bud Ekins. I think he died last year. Great old desert sled racer in the old Triumph Bonneville desert racer days out of District 36-37. One of the best old school AMA off road racing districts with the likes of Malcolm Smith, etc. Ekins went on from desert racing to movie stunts through his friendship with McQueen.

[NorDog]

Yeah, Bud died earlier this year.  Very sad.  I thought everyone knew Bud Ekins did the jump, but it's easier to say "When McQueen..." etc.

Ekins also did the motorcycle stunt in Bullit.  He was the real deal.  No doubt about it.

[fastwin]

He was awesome. Made out of iron and a damn good rider. Do you remember his brother's name? I can't remember but he was damn good on two wheels in the desert too.

I was just thinking... wasn't it Dave? Any old farts out there that can verify that?

[NorDog]

He was awesome. Made out of iron and a damn good rider. Do you remember his brother's name? I can't remember but he was damn good on two wheels in the desert too.

I was just thinking... wasn't it Dave? Any old farts out there that can verify that?

Yeah, his name was (is?) Dave.

From the Motorcycle Hall of Fame website:

"Perhaps Ekins’ greatest accomplishments came in the esteemed International Six Day Trials. In 1964, Ekins, his brother Dave, and Steve McQueen raced in the ISDT in Germany. The team led the international competition before McQueen was involved in a crash and Bud later broke his leg. In all, Ekins won four gold medals and a silver during his seven years of competing in the ISDT during the 1960s."

More here...

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=166

[svoloch]

Yeah, Bud died earlier this year.  Very sad.  I thought everyone knew Bud Ekins did the jump, but it's easier to say "When McQueen..." etc.

Ekins also did the motorcycle stunt in Bullit.  He was the real deal.  No doubt about it.

He drove the Mustang GT in Bullitt too.  McQueen could actually ride, though, but Bud did the stunts.  There's a TR6R on ebay that's signed by bud, btw....

[fastwin]

I love the way they had Triumphs painted up in drab German Army paint in the movie to make them look like kraut bikes. Hey, it's the movies, they can do what they want. Still a great great movie. Need to get Colin to see it, I think he'd like it. Lord knows I did when I was his age.

[cdc]

Wish I read the July '08 issue of Motorcyclist.  The answer and photo were there.  Dang, too many magazines, too little time.

cdc

[fastwin]

Knew the answer before but that reprint of the pic and brief story made it stick in my head. Haven't seen that pic in a long long time. That's been a great trivia question for gray hairs (and for those without any... folically challenged!) for many years. Still want one of those R90S bikes! Damn svoloch, not fair that he's had 3!