Great Escape bid a Triumph?
Famous film scene recreated for TV on Hinckley modified bike
TV presenter Guy Martin has recreated the famous Steve McQueen jump scene from The Great Escape – on a bike built in Hinckley.
Guy decided to see if he could pull off the stunt – jumping across a border fence to the safety of Switzerland – the star attempted in the 1963 film.
He also asked the team at Hinckley’s Triumph factory to create a bike fit for the job.
Engineers adapted one of their Scrambler models to make it light enough and tough enough for the stunt.
In the film, McQueen tries to outrun Germans by jumping over two border fences – only to end up tangled in a mess of barbed wire.
Photos of the actor astride a Triumph bike – built at the long-demolished Meriden factory in the West Midlands – are part of movie history.
The 1962 TR6 Trophy used in the film has been restored and has pride of place in the visitor centre at the Leicestershire Triumph plant.
McQueen refused to ride a German BMW, because he loved the
British bikes so much. The original is now valued at £1.5 million, and “runs a treat”, according to Guy.
He travelled to Southern Germany to recreate the jump for Guy Martin’s Great Escape, which was on Channel 4 at 9pm last Sunday. It is now on
Channel 4’s on demand service online.
Stuart Wood, one of Triumph’s top engineers, modified a Scrambler 1200 XE, working on the forks, changing the springs to make the landing a bit softer and taking some of the weight off.
A new paint job was added, knobbly tyres bolted on for grip and a lighter exhaust was added – along with a bit of hand-painted gold pinstriping on the tank.
Guy said: “The eventual goal of all of this is for me to jump both of the fences in one go, and do it in the same field that they did the film in, 57 years ago.”
The original jump – done by American stuntman Bud Ekins – was added to The Great Escape script to keep bike-obsessed McQueen happy.
The actor doubled as a German rider in the movie so that he could get on two wheels.
To find out how Guy does, you will have to watch the show tomorrow.
Before the jump, and after six months of training and planning, Guy told the cameras: “I’ve got a plan – let’s just go for it.
“You can sit and dither, but the worst that could happen is that I’m going to crash on a bit of wet grass.
“I’m not good at much, but I can crash.
“And if I crash through the fence, at least I’m getting into Switzerland.”