R.I.P. Mustang Bullitt
By David Castro
The Ford Mustang Bullitt is no more.
Ford Authority has confirmed from Mustang spokesperson Berj Alexian that the last Bullitt was produced late last year at their Flat Rock Assembly Plant. The current incarnation of the Mustang Bullitt was produced from 2019-2020 and is powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine that produces 480hp.
The first Mustang Bullitt was developed as an homage to the 1968 Ford Mustang GT fastback that Steve McQueen drove in the iconic 1968 movie “Bullitt”. I could draft a summary of the movie, it’s a good one with Robert Vaughn costarring in the crime flick, but it’s the car chase that stands out. McQueen’s Mustang versus the bad guy’s 1968 Dodge Charger through the streets of San Francisco. If you have not seen it; rent it, buy it or stream it and you shan’t be disappointed.
In 2001 Ford developed and produced their first Mustang Bullitt. A standard Mustang was lowered 3/4 of an inch and the suspension was modified with Tokico shocks. The modified 4.6-liter V8 engine produced 265hp and received a cast-aluminum intake and high-flow mufflers. It had solid performance figures for the era, 0-60 mph in 5.6-seconds and a 14.0-second ¼-mile. The aluminum pedals and gear shift, gauges and seat upholstery were styled after the 1968 Mustang GT. The exterior was streamlined by removing the rear spoiler and front fog lamps. Ford produced it for one year and 5,582 Mustangs rolled off the assembly line; 3,041 in Dark Highland Green (the same color as McQueen’s Mustang in the movie), 1,819 in black, and 722 in True Blue.
Ford brought the Mustang Bullitt back in 2008 with a similar formula to the previous incarnation. Bullitt-style gauges, aluminum dash panel, and an aluminum shift knob and pedals highlighted the interior that was modified to reflect McQueen’s Mustang GT. The exhaust was tuned to mimic the sound of the original GT 390 fastback and the 4.6-liter V8 engine produced 315hp, a 15hp bump up from the GT. It was available in Dark Highland Green or black and the exterior was streamlined with its badges and spoilers removed.
Ford produced 5,808 in 2008 and the Mustang Bullitt hit 0-60 mph in 5.0-seconds and ran the ¼-mile in 13.7 mph. In 2009 Ford produced 816 Mustang Bullitt’s that were largely the same as the previous year.
The latest generation of the Mustang Bullitt was produced from 2019-2020 and was available in Dark Highland Green or Shadow Black. Similar to the previous generations, the last installment of the Mustang Bullitt had the spoiler, exterior badges, and chrome removed but a “Bullitt” gas cap was added. Interior appointments include a white-ball shifter and a “Bullitt” logo on the horn.
Under the hood, the Mustang Bullitt’s 5.0-liter V8 Coyote engine produced 480hp, a 20hp bump up from the stock Mustang GT due to the Bullitt’s engine being fed by a modified Shelby GT350 intake.
The engine is paired only with an MT82 six-speed manual transmission, no automatic available. Performance was impressive, with 0-60 mph being reached at 4.2-seconds and a ¼-mile jaunt in 12.4-seconds. It was available in Dark Highland Green or Shadow Black.
In the future we will likely see another Mustang Bullitt but until then go checkout the movie that this car is a proper homage to.