Ford Mustang GT "Bullitt" 1968, Estados Unidos
Motor: 390 CI
Exterior: Verde (Highland Green)
Interior: Preto
Fotografia
HIGHLIGHTS
The Hero Car
driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 Warner Bros film, "Bullitt"
Featured in
the majority of scenes from the legendary car chase through San Francisco
Sold to Warner
Bros employee Robert Ross following the film debut
Subsequently
acquired by New Jersey Detective Frank Marranca in 1970
Purchased by
Robert Kiernan of Madison, New Jersey in 1974 from Marranca
Bequeathed to
Kiernan's son Sean in 2014 upon Robert's passing
Letter from
Warner Bros certifying that this car was featured in the film
California
Registration from 1968 in Robert Ross' name
1978 New
Jersey Insurance Card and registration dated in Robert Kiernan's name
Letter from
Steve McQueen to Robert Kiernan attempting to purchase the "Bullitt"
Mustang
The 21st
vehicle entered into the National Historic Vehicle Register
Unveiled to
the public at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show alongside Ford's 3rd edition Bullitt
Mustang
Retains camera
mounts welded into the rockers
Rebuilt S-code
390 CI V-8 engine
4-barrel
carburetor
4-speed manual
transmission
GT emblems
removed and grille blacked out
American
Racing Torque Thrust wheels
Find more
photos, information and documentation at Bullitt.Mecum.com.
In 1968,
“Bullitt” cemented itself as the pivotal moment in the history of car chase
scenes, doing what none had ever done before and setting the standard for all
that would follow, earning it the badge of honor that it carries today as the
single greatest car chase scene in history. 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. Hidden
away for decades until its reveal to the public in 2018, this star of the
silver screen is now slated to cross the auction block at the world’s largest
collector car auction this January at Mecum Kissimmee 2020.
The iconic
1968 film “Bullitt” featured what most experts consider to be the first modern-day
car chase scene, one that was executed with such innovation and finesse that it
became the standard for all that followed. Longer, faster and more action
packed than anything before it, the 10-minute car chase scene—featuring McQueen
as Lt. Frank Bullitt chasing a black Dodge Charger while behind the wheel of
this 1968 Ford Mustang GT—was the first to use cameras in a way that put the
audience right inside the cars and alongside the actors. Throughout some of the
most intense scenes of the famous car chase, McQueen could be seen right there,
full screen, clutching the wheel of this very car as he expertly piloted it
through the bustling and winding streets of San Francisco. This style of
filming would become the formula for car chase scene success, serving as a
blueprint for the films that followed, like “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “The French
Connection,” “The Blues Brothers,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” “Vanishing Point”
and plenty more.
The two
Highland Green 1968 Mustang fastbacks used in the scene—this one, the hero car,
being used for the majority of the scene’s filming and driven by McQueen—both
featured the GT package and 390 CI V-8. As McQueen considered the car itself to
be a character, not just another prop, he was particular about the look and feel
of the car, having the emblems and backup lights removed and adding gray Torq
Thrust wheels to make the car look a bit meaner, more befitting of his
character, Lt. Frank Bullitt. The Mustang’s grille was blacked out, and the
paint was scuffed to give it more of an authentic, road-tested look. Meanwhile,
the engine was modified for speed and sound, creating the symphony in the
background of the chase scene, which featured no music at all. To accommodate
the cameras that captured the revolutionary chase scene, three metal tubes were
welded beneath the rockers, perpendicular to the car’s center line for the
camera mounts, and holes were cut into the trunk to allow cords to run from the
generator to the cameras and lights.
Following its
movie debut, the 1968 Mustang GT hero 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. It then found its
way to New Jersey and into the hands of Detective Frank Marranca, who bought
the car in 1970 with confirmation from Ford that certified the Mustang had
indeed been purchased by McQueen’s Solar Productions for the movie. As
Marranca’s family grew, he eventually put the hero car up for sale. The ad in
the October 1974 issue of “Road & Track” simply read, “1968 ‘Bullett’
MUSTANG driven by McQueen in the movie…Can be documented. Best offer.”
The late
Robert Kiernan of Madison, New Jersey, had always wanted a 1968 Mustang
fastback, and after seeing the ad, he picked up the hero car for $6,000. While
McQueen himself made numerous attempts to reacquire the vehicle from Robert,
even offering to help him find a similar Mustang, Robert had already fallen in
love with it and respectfully declined all offers. In its early years with the
Kiernan family, the Mustang was used as a daily driver by Robert’s wife, who
taught at a nearby school, but when the car’s clutch went out in 1980, it was
moved into the garage with just 65,000 miles on the odometer. In the years that
followed, the car would move several times, first to Cincinnati with the family
in 1984, and then to a friend’s home in Kentucky when the family moved to
Florida in 1994. A year later, the Mustang rejoined the family when the
Kiernans moved to their new farm in Nashville.
And that’s
where it sat up until 2001, when Ford’s introduction of a Bullitt Mustang GT
inspired the then-retired Robert and his son, Sean Kiernan, to start putting
some work into the car—not enough to alter the history, but just enough to make
it drivable once again. However, after work began on the Mustang, Robert was
diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and work stalled. When Ford introduced a
second Bullitt edition in 2008, the pair was once again inspired to have the
engine rebuilt, but once again, life got in the way; as Robert’s Parkinson’s
worsened, maintaining the farm and horses became a more important task for
Sean.
Sadly, Robert
would never see the Mustang reach completion, as he passed rather suddenly in
2014. With his father’s death, Sean found renewed purpose in the mission they
had started years before, and he went on to complete the work and return the
Bullitt Mustang to roadworthy condition, unveiling it to the general public
alongside Ford’s third Bullitt Edition Mustang at the Detroit Auto Show in
early 2018.
Having been
entered into the National Historic Vehicle Register and presenting in highly
original condition, this is the 1968 Ford Mustang GT hero car from the iconic
1968 film “Bullitt” starring Steve McQueen. In addition to its Highland Green
paintwork, the Bullitt Mustang retains many of the fingerprints from its time
in front of the camera, including the camera mounts welded to the rockers, the
welded patches covering what used to be the backup lights before McQueen had them
removed, modifications for camera gear in the trunk, its custom exhaust,
adhesive residue on the tachometer and even the Bondo used to repair the door
after it was smashed in during the final moments of the chase scene. As the
Kiernans’ goal all along was to retain the Mustang in as untouched condition as
possible, the completed engine rebuild is factory-faithful, featuring as many
original parts as Sean and his father could conceivably use, and other work was
done only by absolute necessity, including replacing the carpet, front bumper
and front valance.
There are few
cars that have reached a truly awe-inspiring level of rarity and
collectability, but the list of cars that has transcended that level to reach
near mythical status as fine art pieces and pop culture icons—artifacts of
automotive history—is nearly non-existent. The Bullitt Mustang is a car that
extends far beyond being just another top-notch collector car. It’s a car that
was once thought lost to the passage of time, and with its reemergence, its
unparalleled cultural significance has solidified it as a bona fide piece of
pop-culture art and as an undeniable remnant of an incredible moment in movie
and automotive history. With McQueen behind the wheel during the filming of
1968’s “Bullitt,” it redefined the way audiences would forever view car chases,
creating a blueprint for the way those scenes should be shot, and that enduring
legacy is something the car will forever carry with it. McQueen viewed the car
as a key character in itself, and it couldn’t be any more apparent today that
his view was correct, as the Bullitt Mustang has once again achieved complete
and utter stardom on the public stage. With its public unveiling and renewed
reputation for greatness, the Bullitt Mustang is now ready for its next
starring role.
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