Two Mustang GT 390s were modified for the making of Bullitt – which included a dark Highland Green paint scheme, no exterior badges, scoops or spoilers and adorned with a black-mesh grille absent of Ford's iconic pony badging. Of the two, this is the only surviving car.
Two Mustang GT 390s were used in the making of Bullitt. One (VIN 8R02S125559) was pampered and used in low-action scenes – mostly when McQueen's titular character, Frank Bullitt, was driving around his neighborhood in picturesque San Francisco.
So when the world learned in January 2017 that the car, which had vanished from existence decades ago, had survived McQueen, who died in 1980, heartbreak turned into astonishment. The Kiernan family, the car's owner since 1974, had safely tucked it away in a Kentucky barn, far from prying eyes.
Following its movie debut, the 1968 Mustang GT hero car—this car—was sold to Robert Ross, a Warner Bros. employee who used it as a commuter, documented by the Warner Bros. parking sticker on the bottom right corner of the windshield. The other Mustang stunt car was deemed unrepairable and reportedly scrapped.
Two Mustangs and two Dodge Chargers were used for the famous chase scene. Both Mustangs were owned by the Ford Motor Company and part of a promotional loan agreement with Warner Brothers.
Did Steve McQueen do all his own driving in Bullitt?
Although Steve McQueen was credited with the driving during the chase sequence, it was actually shared by McQueen and Bud Ekins, one of Hollywood's best stunt drivers. From the interior shots looking forward inside the Mustang, it's easy to see which one is driving.
However, it seems that a certain buyer grabbed the machine from the Valley Dodge car dealer in Van Nuys, California in 1970 and sold it to Arnold Welch of Tucson, AZ in 2002. There were either two or three 1968 Dodge Chargers used in the film.
The Bullitt Mustang ended up staying in the Kiernan family's D.C.-area garage for decades. Upon Kiernan's passing in 2014, the car was passed down to his son Sean who was inspired to get the car back up and running. Sean Kiernan restored the car in secret on his own before unveiling it to the public.
About 40 years ago, a certain Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT exchanged hands for $3500. That same car, the one that was actually driven by Steve McQueen in the movie Bullitt, just became the most valuable Mustang ever after it was auctioned off for a cool $3.4 million.
For some reason the surviving R/T Charger ended up back with the dealer and was re-painted yellow and sold. Arnold says the car hasn't been driven since about 1978 and that its VIN date indicates it was built January 15, 1968. Location filming was begun in April of 1968.
The ominous-looking pony car with the barking 390-cubic-inch V-8, which starred in one of the greatest chase scenes in movie history in the film Bullitt—with McQueen doing the driving in many of the shots—may have been lost, but it was never forgotten.
The actor is better known for his prowess as a stunt driver. His work in Bullitt (1968) is legendary where he drove the black Dodge Charger 440 Magnum that was pursued by Steve McQueen in his Ford Mustang 390 GT.
Unfortunately, according to CBS, that was just some dramatic license. The telecast featured two authentic 1968 Mustangs, but neither is the car from the film.
How long did it take to film the Chase scene in Bullitt?
One of the most memorable car chases in all of cinema features Steve McQueen in a Ford Mustang being chased by bad guys through the streets of San Francisco in the 1968 film “Bullitt.” Warner Bros. The sequence took Yates three weeks to film and was pieced together from multiple takes.
Bill Hickman, who would be doing all the stunt driving in the bad guys' car and have an on-screen role as the hitman behind the wheel, agreed with the choice. McQueen and Yates were on board with the selection, but apparently, Warner Brothers was not.
With a strong 6.4 L V8 Big Block power plant, the Ford could give the Charger a run for its money any time, which the film established quite convincingly. The Mustang went from 0 to 60 mph in only 5.5 seconds and took the quarter mile is 13.8 seconds, with a maximum speed of 140 mph.
What happened to the Mustang used in the movie Bullitt?
Two identical 1968 Mustang GT fastbacks were used in the film, which debuted Oct. 17, 1968. One went to a salvage yard and the other was sold by the studio to a private buyer and eventually ended up in the Kiernan garage. To the public, the vehicle was lost.
Industry experts believe it is odds-on there will be a new-generation Ford Mustang Bullitt – given the special edition was included in the previous three generations – but it could be several years away, in the second half of an expected eight-year model cycle.
What is the difference between a Mustang GT and a Bullitt?
Aside from packing a bit more power, the Mustang Bullitt also comes standard with the GT? s optional Performance package and an active exhaust. Furthermore, you can only get the Mustang Bullitt with a six-speed manual gearbox.
The actor is better known for his prowess as a stunt driver. His work in Bullitt (1968) is legendary where he drove the black Dodge Charger 440 Magnum that was pursued by Steve McQueen in his Ford Mustang 390 GT.
There were accounts of two and possible three Chargers used in the movie. Two were 4 speed cars, the third could have been an automatic. Differences noticed on the two or three cars. - Steering wheel.
"These two cars were literally flying down Taylor Street." As a movie, "Bullitt" was confusing, and its centerpiece chase scene had some strange inconsistencies. The bad guys' Charger lost six hubcaps and couldn't hit the broad side of a gas station during the explosive finale.
