It is not known exactly when McQueen bought it, but it was added to his collection relatively late on and was still owned by the actor when he passed away in November 1980.

Indeed, among the items of memorabilia it will be sold with are its original blue Californian license plates, which are dated for road use until 31 October of that year, just one week prior to his death. A plaque inside the vehicle also denotes it as being owned by the actor.

After his passing, the Jeep was sold as part of the Steve McQueen Estate Auction on 24-25 November 1984, at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The lucky new owner, a Mr J McClughan of New Braunfels, Texas, paid $6000 for it – some 10 times the going rate for a WW2 Jeep at the time, although given that it equates to around $15,000 in today's terms, still quite the steal compared to the asking price at the Silverstone Auctions sale.