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.
How much did the original Bullitt Mustang sell for?
The 1968 Ford Mustang GT driven by Steve McQueen in the legendary chase scene in the movie “Bullitt” sold on Friday for $3.74 million. “It's a record auction price for any Mustang ever sold,” said Dana Mecum, the principal of the auction house, Mecum Auctions, that sold the car.
Steve McQueen’s ‘Bullitt’ 1968 Mustang GT sells for MILLIONS at Mecum Auctions | Motorsports on NBC
Who owns Steve McQueen's car?
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.
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.
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.
Based on the 2001 Mustang GT, the limited-production Bullitt featured a 4.6-liter V-8 tweaked for better airflow and power, including a cast-aluminum intake, twin 57-mm bore throttle body and high-flow mufflers.
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 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.
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.
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.
The chase scene starts at 1:05:00 into the film. The total time of the scene is 10 minutes 53 seconds. It begins under Highway 101 in the city's Mission District as Bullitt spots the hitmen's car. It ends outside the city, at the Brisbane exit of the Guadalupe Canyon Parkway on San Bruno Mountain.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
The Bullitt's naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 has a factory rating of 480 horsepower (358 kW) and 420 pound-feet (570 Newton-meters) of torque. This is 20 hp (15 kW) more than the standard Mustang GT thanks to a larger throttle body, GT350 intake manifold, and revised powertrain control module.
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.
