2020 Mustang Bullitt
In 1968 Steve McQueen tore up the twisty, undulating streets of San Francisco in a Highland Green Ford Mustang. It was part of an epic car chase with a Dodge Charger for the film; Bullitt, the chase went on for over 10 minutes, and that’s pretty much the only ten minutes of the film that anyone remembers anything about.
Ford have released a few special edition Bullitt Mustangs over the years but, to be honest, the Mustangs they were based on were pretty pants to start with. They weren’t officially available in the UK, either.
RHD For The First Time
2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the film, so here came another Bullitt Mustang, except this time it was spawned from a car fit to wear the badge, and you could pop down to your local UK Ford dealer to buy one.
It was a limited edition model but, guess what – it sold so well that the run has been extended somewhat. Bad news for collector rarity, good news for the rest of us.
How Much Is The Mustang Bullitt?
First, the bad bit. The Bullitt Mustang will set you back £48,445 – over £5K more than the 5.0l GT. So what do you get for your money?
Well, not a huge selection of colours, that’s for sure. It’s Dark Highland Green, obviously, or Shadow Black in homage to the Charger from the film. One car, a chase does not make, so the black Charger’s essential to the legend but, despite your best intentions to be daring and different, we bet you’d end up going for the green.
A Bit Of Extra Power
This isn’t just some cynical, end-of-run special edition with a couple of extra colour choices, though. Under the bonnet sits the same 5.0l V8 but it now gives you an extra 9 bhp, with output rated at 453 bhp. The chassis, steering and Brembo, six-pot brakes are individual to the Bullitt, too.
Now, a big V8 like this sings a fair ol’ tune anyway, but all Mustang’s have it piped into the cabin for extra effect. What a lot of people don’t know about the film is that the engine sounds you heard on screen were actually taken from another, slightly more impressive Ford – the GT40. So, guess what; the Bullitt Mustang’s exhaust has been tuned to mimic the movie, and what a noise it is – the perfect antidote to the current trend of downsizing and electrification.
Manual Only
The automatic transmission from the ‘normal’ Mustang has been deleted from the Bullitt. It’s the six-speed manual only, then, with each gear selection going into place with a suitably macho thunk. What’s also exclusive to the Bullitt is the white ‘cue-ball’ gear knob, which we probably find a little too satisfying. There’s some green stitching which you could easily miss, but what’s more obvious is the exclusive, 1000w B&O stereo.
If you’re after the wind-in-your-hair approach to driving the Mustang, the Bullitt isn’t for you. It’s fastback only – no self respecting, hardened San Fran cop drives a convertible I’m afraid.
Bullitt-Only Looks
Back to the outside and the most obvious change is the grille. We always found the smooth, non-straked look of the EcoBoost Mustang more attractive than the V8’s, and it’s found its way onto the Bullitt. The grille’s now horseless, too – just like the film, plus, the splitter has been made less fussy. You also get a chrome window surround on the Bullitt, again, true to the original.
Should I Buy A Mustang Bullitt?
If you’re still wondering whether these upgrades over the standard Mustang are worth it, you could look at in terms of resale value. No, it’s not as limited as it was supposed to be, but the run isn’t endless and the Bullitt Mustang will always hold a premium. You just have to like green or black.
By Ben Harrington
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