Bullitt back on the streets. Special-edition Mustang recreates the original’s moves.
Ford revealed a Bullitt edition of its recently revised Mustang at last January’s Detroit show. In June it announced that the celebratory tribute to the car ragged through San Franciscos streets by Steve McQueen in the Bullitt film was available to order in Europe, priced in the UK from £47,000. And to mark the new model’s arrival precisely half a century after the release of the film that included the most famous car chase in Hollywood history, the 2018 Mustang Bullitt has starred in a re-make of some of the original car’s action images.
One key difference between the regular Mustang V8 and the Bullitt version is an extra dose of power, achieved with free- flowing air filters, bigger throttle bodies and a management re-map. US cars were promised 481bhp at launch but Europe’s cars are rated at 459bhp – still plenty for a 5.0-litre engine with atmospheric induction. Other Bullitt identifiers are pared-down exterior detailing, black five-spoke wheels, red-painted Brembo brake calipers, lightweight Recaro seats and metallic Highland Green paint, is colour is an option, with Shadow Black as standard.
The six-speed manual transmission features both a white, spherical gearlever knob and the ability to blip engine revs up to the required speed for a smooth downshift, the better to recreate Bullitt’s soundtrack.
Ford, meanwhile, reports that it has just built the ten-millionth Mustang since 1964.
