These cars were originally blue and yellow, as Dodge didn't offer the 1968 Charger in black, with the former being used for stunt shots, and the latter was designated the hero car for close-ups. After shooting was complete, the surviving hero car was returned to the dealer, who repainted it yellow and sold it.
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. One was originally yellow, and the other was blue.
The camera car survived the production and was returned to the dealer, who repainted it yellow and sold it. No one knew the whereabouts of the car until 2002 when Mopar fanatic Arnold Welch purchased a car in Arizona that he believed to be it and meticulously restored it to Bullitt spec.
How many Dodge Chargers were used in the movie Bullitt?
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.
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.
Bullitt (1968) - Ford Mustang vs. Dodge Charger Scene (5/10) | Movieclips
Who was driving the Dodge Charger in Bullitt?
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.
Its owner is Nashville-based Sean Kiernan. “For 40 years,” he says, “it was a total secret.” Kiernan's father, who had been chasing a Mustang with the 390-cubic-inch “big block” engine, found one for sale in the classified section of Road & Track magazine.
However, it was the car chase alongside Steve McQueen in the 1968 film Bullitt for which he is usually remembered. Hickman was to do all his own driving; portraying one of two hit men, he drove an all black 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum R/T through the streets of San Francisco, using the hills as jumps.
Frank Bullitt's car is a 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback. The bad guys drive a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum. The Charger is just barely faster than the Mustang, with a 13.6-second quarter-mile to a 13.8-second.
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.
What happened to the Bullitt Mustang found in Mexico?
Sanchez co-owns the Mustang with shop owner Ralph Garcia Jr., who had already started repairing the car -- it now wears a fresh coat of Highland green paint. It was displayed at the local Mexicali Ford dealership before being shipped back to California, where Garcia lives.
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.
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.
In the famous chase in “Bullitt” McQueen drove the Mustang part of the time, and stunt coordinator Carey Loftin drove it part of the time. The Charger was driven by stunt man Bill Hickman. In other films Stunt Man Bud Elkins was McQueen's stunt double.
"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.
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.
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.
In homage to McQueen's character, this Bullitt was offered in the same Highland Green color, along with True Blue and Black. Ford produced a total of 5,582 Bullitt models in 2001. While the horsepower output was listed at 265 hp, some owners indicated their Bullitt provided horsepower in the 270-275 range.
Stunts, motor racing and flying. McQueen was an avid motorcycle and race car enthusiast. When he had the opportunity to drive in a movie, he performed many of his own stunts, including some of the car chases in Bullitt and the motorcycle chase in The Great Escape.
Ford Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in 'Bullitt' sells for $3.4 million. (Reuters) - The 1968 Ford Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the classic car chase from the movie "Bullitt, one of the most famed cars from American cinema, sold for $3.4 million at auction in Florida on Friday, Mecum Auctions said.
Frank Bullitt's girlfriend, Cathy—drove a Champagne Yellow Porsche 356 Cabriolet that received its fair share of screen time with Bisset and Steve McQueen, serving as a sort of “hers” to the Bullitt Mustang “his.” This classic matching-numbers 1965 Porsche 356C Cabriolet is a strikingly similar Porsche that presents ...
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.
How did they film the famous Bullitt car chase scenes? Once again McQueen's pursuit of authenticity for Bullitt meant the chase was filmed entirely with stunt driving and no special effects. The two cars actually drove through the real streets of San Francisco and at genuine speed.
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.
