Chad McQueen was just ten years old when his dad began filming the epic motion picture Le Mans. School was not quite finished when he landed in France, and for the next four months, he and sister Terry were tutored at the Chateau Lornay, where they lived during filming.

But Chad received another education, in racing, which would last a lifetime. His tutors would be drivers like David Piper, Gerard Larrousse, Jonathan Williams, Derek Bell, Masten Gregory, and Herbert Linge. And of course, his dad.

Chad ate breakfast, lunch, and dinners with these drivers in Solar Village on the set, and talked frequently with them about their races. Sometimes he just listened.

They took a liking to Steve’s only son, and soon Chad found himself tagging along during breaks in filming, catching rides as the drivers headed back for costume changes, and hanging on while they hammered sports cars like the Toyota 2000 GT down the Bugatti circuit.

This May, those memories are rekindled as CBS and Paramount re-release Le Mans on Blu Ray beginning May 24th. The Blu-ray Disc is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD, and includes the award-winning documentary produced by Chad McQueen: Filming at Speed: The Making of the Movie "Le Mans", as well as the original theatrical Trailer.

Le Mans Memories

Ironically, one of two of his dad’s slate grey 911s’ are being offered at auction this summer. The auctioned car is the same one featured in the opening shot of Le Mans, and is expected to set a record for 911s. The car features special touches overseen personally by Steve, and was featured in the definitive guide to McQueen’s classic cars, “McQueen’s Machines” by Motor Trend Classic editor Matt Stone. The other 911s is still owned by Chad.