Steve McQueen's friend Derek Bell escaped from fiery death

Derek Bell, former Formula One driver and multiple 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, had a significant role during the making of a famous movie Le Mans in 1970. The main actor and Hollywood star Steve McQueen became the friend of Bell’s family and they even lived together in days when the movie was filming.

During the filming, Derek survived a dangerous accident with Ferrari 512. He suffered burns to his face when the car he was driving caught fire following a racing sequence on the Le Mans circuit. He managed to get out of the car just before it was engulfed in flames and suffered minor burns. Although the car was badly damaged, it was later rebuilt and is still racing at historic meets. So, Bell escaped from fiery death, the movie was completed without fatalities and the rest is history.