The Mustang Steve McQueen expertly drove in the 1968 movie "Bullitt" was no average sports car. Endless hagiographies and tributes were written about the mythical, practically supernatural fastback coupe. Grown men lusted over it. The Highland Green Mustang had achieved legendary status.
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.
What happened to the original Mustang from the movie Bullitt?
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.
The Bullitt Mustang used in the eponymous movie just gaveled at Mecum for an eye-gouging $3.74 million. It is now not only the most expensive Mustang ever sold, but also the most expensive muscle carever. That title used to belong to a 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda convertible that changed hands for $3.5 million in 2014.
This Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT—the hero car driven by the “King of Cool,” Steve McQueen, in the iconic 1968 film “Bullitt”—is the one that started that enduring legacy.
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.
Did Steve McQueen actually drive the Mustang 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.
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.
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.
Who owns the Bullitt Mustang now and how much is it?
The $3.4-million icon will remain as is.
Kiernan's parents purchased the car back in 1974 after spotting it for sale in an issue of Road & Track Magazine and went on to use it as their daily driver for several years. After the car garnered plenty of unwanted attention, it was hidden away until 2018.
What happened to the 1968 Dodge Charger from the movie Bullitt?
The dealership reportedly resprayed the vehicle, going back for the original yellow and found a new owner for 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.
The Bullitt Mustang was offered in only three colors: Dark Highland Green (the same shade of green used in the famous movie "Bullitt" starring Steve McQueen), Black, and True Blue. Total production was 5,582 units (3,041 Dark Highland Green, 1,819 Black, and 722 True Blue).
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.
After filming, the Mustang was sold to a Warner Brothers employee, and later to a New Jersey police detective. He in turn sold it for $6,000 in 1974 to Robert Kiernan of Madison, New Jersey, who held onto the car until he died in 2014.
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.
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.
Its precarious yet mostly original condition combined with its legendary story made this amazing car the most expensive Mustang ever sold, as it fetched a whopping $3.74 million. It turns out that the second car was never scrapped as it resurfaced in Mexico in 2017.
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.
In Bullitt, directed by Peter Yates, Renella plays Johnny Ross, who fakes his murder so he can become free of the mob. After McQueen's San Francisco Police Lt. Frank Bullitt discovers the ruse, he chases down Ross across the runways of San Francisco Airport and gets his man in the terminal.
James Sherwin "Bud" Ekins (May 11, 1930 – October 6, 2007) was an American professional stuntman in the U.S. film industry. He is considered to be one of the film industry's most accomplished stuntmen with a body of work that includes classic films such as The Great Escape and Bullitt.
How many hubcaps did the charger loose in Bullitt?
"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.
On November 7, 1980, McQueen died of a heart attack at 3:45 a.m. at a Juárez hospital, 12 hours after surgery to remove or reduce numerous metastatic tumors in his neck and abdomen. He was 50 years old. According to the El Paso Times, McQueen died in his sleep.
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.
How long did it take to film the car chase in Bullitt?
Paul Monaco has written, "The most compelling street footage of 1968, however, appeared in an entirely contrived sequence, with nary a hint of documentary feel about it – the car chase through the streets of San Francisco in Bullitt, created from footage shot over nearly five weeks."
