{"id":51867,"date":"2018-08-15T13:06:24","date_gmt":"2018-08-15T12:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.influx.co.uk\/?p=51867"},"modified":"2022-06-22T17:00:22","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T16:00:22","slug":"car-chase-hero-bullitt-mustang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adrianflux.co.uk\/influx\/features\/car-chase-hero-bullitt-mustang\/","title":{"rendered":"Up close and personal with the ultimate car chase hero \u2013 the Bullitt Mustang"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is the standard run of the mill car chase, and there is the 1968 thriller Bullitt \u2013 the film that set a very high bar for on-screen car chase action some five decades ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The star of the show was, of course, the Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT, as driven by Steve McQueen\u2019s character.<\/p>\n

Apologies if you\u2019re a fan of the Dodge Charger, but in true Highlander style, there can only be one.<\/p>\n

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A bit of Bullitt Mustang history<\/strong><\/p>\n

A pair of Mustang GT\u2019s shared the starring role in the film \u2013 one a modified jump car for all of the stunt scenes and the other hero car that McQueen drove during close-up shots.<\/p>\n

After production wrapped, the fate of both cars became something of a myth until late 2017, when the shell of the jump car showed up in a junkyard.<\/p>\n

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The hero car faired far better. Post-production it was purchased by its first owner before Robert Kiernan bought the car for only $6,000 in 1974. After this, it was used as a daily driver by Kiernan\u2019s wife until the clutch failed in 1980. From then on it remained locked away at the family farm in Tennessee despite offers from McQueen himself to buy the car \u2013 its existence remaining a closely guarded secret for over 30 years.<\/p>\n

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Up close and personal with the Bullitt Mustang <\/strong><\/p>\n

Roll forward to 2018 and the existence of the original Bullitt Mustang was finally revealed. Now in the ownership of Kiernan\u2019s son Sean \u2013 it\u2019s been touring North America<\/a> including a visit to the UK for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and I was lucky enough to see it in all of its battered glory.<\/p>\n

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In true car chase style, the Bullitt Mustang arrived unannounced at Goodwood Circuit during a Ford event with a 2018 Bullitt model in tow – giving me full access to this legendary car once I\u2019d calmed down from the realisation that I was in the presence of a true film icon.<\/p>\n

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Unrestored originality and all the better for it<\/strong><\/p>\n

During a brief conversation with Sean Kiernan, he told me that Ford had given the Bullitt Mustang a full mechanical restoration while leaving the bodywork exactly as it stood \u2013 decades of ageing and all.<\/p>\n

The car\u2019s interior is also exactly as when it rolled out of the barn \u2013 complete with the special cue-ball shifter showing only 65,055 miles on the clock.<\/p>\n

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On the outside, the paint is cracked and faded exposing the undercoat alongside a few rusted panels \u2013 and a number of dings and dents. But despite this, the Highland green paint is still present and instantly recognisable \u2013 even after all of the years that have passed since its starring role.<\/p>\n

Despite its well-worn looks, there can be no denying the cool-factor of the Bullitt Mustang. All of that achingly cool original bodywork, the McQueen connection and that it was hidden for so many years making it the king of all car chase heroes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t