THE “BULLITT” MUSTANG

The “Bullitt” Mustang you see here was built by Gateway Classics for Chad McQueen (Steve McQueen’s son) in 2011, it was designed as a modern interpretation of the classic 1968 fastback used in the iconic film from the same year.

The project began as an idea for the TV series “Celebrity Rides”, the producer wanted to create a car that was as visually authentic as possible but with modern updates to the powertrain and suspension. This wasn’t quite as easy as it sounds due to the fact that the Mustang used in Bullitt had been modified significantly from stock, so stills from the film were used as guides during the build process.

All in, the build lasted 4 months. A brand new shell from Dynacorn was used as it provided better quality steel than the original with improved shock tower braces and door hinges. The body was painted in the same DuPont/Axalta Hot Hues’ Highland Green as the film car and a set of sixteen-inch American Racing wheels were bolted into place, completing the car’s exterior.

Much of the interior was provided by YearOne, meaning that the majority of it is brand new. Some vintage parts were used when they could be found in good enough condition but at completion, the car was over 95% off the shelf.

In order to ensure that the new Bullitt Mustang could corner as well or better than a new model, RRS front and rear suspension was used with a coil-over strut system in front and a bolt-in three-link suspension system at the rear.

Under the hood is Ford Racing’s 347 crate motor with 450 horsepower thanks to aluminum “Z” cylinder heads, a Victor Jr. aluminum intake, a 770-cfm Holley Street Avenger four-barrel carburettor and a JBA exhaust system. This power is hooked up to a late-model T-45 five-speed manual with a conversion kit from Keisler Engineering – In a nod to the past, a 1968 shifter has been used.

With an estimated value of $80,000 to $120,000 USD the “nouvo” Bullit Mustang will be rolling across the auction block on the 16th of January 2014 with Bonhams, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here.