Steve McQueen’s Jump Still Captivates
Two feet, four, six . . . 7ft off the ground. After repeated nervous, muddy attempts, Bud Ekins, a motorcycle stunt rider, coaxed the old Triumph into the air, flew over the strands of fake barbed wire and into the history books. The sequence helped make The Great Escape a cinema classic and turn Steve McQueen into an international star. It also made Ekins, who doubled as McQueen, a legend among fellow riders.
Motorcyclists never tire of talking about that jump, which was recently recreated with help from Gerry Lisi at Metisse Motorcycles, who just launched a limited run of 300 Steve McQueen Metisse Desert Racers.
In stunt-riding circles, the jump is still regarded as one of the most technically skilled — and controversial — performed for the big screen. Controversial because Ekins later claimed it was done on a standard, factory-built Triumph. Some film historians say such a jump could not have been accomplished except by special effects or on a highly modified machine. Forty-six years after The Great Escape was made, The Sunday Times has solved the mystery by reconstructing the jump.
Get Your Own Replica
Oh, and the McQueen replica Colley used? You can buy one yourself from Metisse Motorcycles – provided you have a spare $18,000 or so sitting around – or you can check out the May/June 2009 issue of Motorcycle Classics, mailing April 3, for Alan Cathcart’s full story on this incredible tribute to Steve McQueen, complete with stunning pics and a full ride report.
About The Replica Racer
Faithfully built encompassing the ideals employed by Steve McQueen all those years ago. These include styled footrests made to his original design, 35mm Ceriani forks, with seven inches of travel which he found to be the optimum. The yokes are from BSA being his preference because of the handlebar position, set behind the steering stem for better control.
