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.
The iconic movie car has been owned by the Kiernan family since 1974. After nearly 50 years, McQueen's Mustang GT fastback from "Bullitt" is back on the world's stage. The Mustang Steve McQueen expertly drove in the 1968 movie "Bullitt" was no average sports 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.
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.
A dull green 1968 Ford Mustang GT driven by Steve McQueen in the movie “Bullitt” just became the most valuable Ford Mustang ever sold at auction. It went for $3.7 million …
Steve McQueen’s ‘Bullitt’ 1968 Mustang GT sells for MILLIONS at Mecum Auctions | Motorsports on NBC
Who owns the Dodge Charger from Bullitt?
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.
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.
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 1968 Dodge Charger from the movie Bullitt?
After shooting was complete, the surviving hero car was returned to the dealer, who repainted it yellow and sold it. And so it was for a few decades. But in 2002, 51-year-old Mopar fanatic Arnold Welch purchased what he believed to be the "Bullitt" Charger, in Tucson, Arizona.
What happened to the Dodge Charger from the movie Bullitt?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Powered by a 390-cubic inch V8 engine, this Mustang painted in the famous Highland Green body colour was driven by the King of Cool himself, Steve McQueen, during the famous car chase in the streets of San Francisco (which you can re-watch below).
What is the difference between a Mustang and a Mustang Bullitt?
To give the limited-production Mustang Bullitt an extra dose of performance, Ford retuned its engine to produce 475 horsepower. Aside from packing a bit more power, the Mustang Bullitt also comes standard with the GT? s optional Performance package and an active exhaust.
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.
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.
Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an American actor and racing driver. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the 1960s and 1970s.
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.
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."
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.
