'LeMans' on DVD

[RoadHazard]

Santa was good to me and brought me 'LeMans' on DVD, which I immediately watched for the umpteenth time since I was a kid. But even after all this time one stupid question still bothers me.

Near the end of the movie Steve McQueen makes a rude two-fingered gesture to one of his Porsche teammates. I never understood why. What obvious plot point am I missing?

[jgaither]

He's actually giving the European bird to the Ferrari driver that he whupped on the last lap. Jolly good show!

[reinhold]

From http://autosportsltd.com/featured_twofingers.php

As the story goes, hundreds of years ago when the English and the French were doing battle, the unfortunate English longbowman who fell into the hands of the enemy often had the two fingers of his "string-pulling" hand loped off. Should he escape, this would prevent him from plying his trade as effectively. That was if he was lucky. He often lost more than two fingers. Sometimes all five, or a hand, and often his head.

The English longbowmen would taunt the French by raising the two fingers across the lines to show they still had them. Through the years this gesture has remained a very English expression. In the last scene of Le Mans shown above, Steve McQueen, as Michael Delaney, salutes Ferrari driver Erich Stahler, played by Siegfried Rauch.
Photo by Nigel Snowdon

[RoadHazard]

Thanks. I'm quite familiar with the gesture (don't ask) but didn't realize he was "flipping off" the Ferrari driver. That makes much more sense. Guess I'd better watch it again!

[Beartrax]

I will second Reinhold's story. I heard/read the same explanation for the two-finger "salute".

Personally, I feel it is classier than flipping the bird. It says, "Hey I still have what it takes to beat you!"

my $0.02