In homage to one of the big screen’s greatest muscle car scenes, Mustang has re-envisioned Steve McQueens iconic Bullitt for 2019.
So you might have been a little young to have a man crush on Steve McQueen (perhaps stimulated by his San Francisco car chase scene in the 1968 movie Bullitt) but that doesn’t mean you can appreciate the beauty and power of the 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt, an all-American muscle car created to mark the film’s 50th anniversary.
The legacy of McQueen’s marque continues with the Bullitt’s upgraded 5.0-liter V8 engine, which delivers at least 475 horsepower and 420 pounds of torque, pushing the new Bullitt to a top speed of 262km/hr – a 12km/hr increase over the latest Mustang GT.
READ: The Top 10 Tented Camps in the World
As a special-edition model due out this summer, the all-new Mustang Bullitt is equipped with a manual transmission, the gear shifter for which features a white cue ball shift knob as a nod to the original. As you can imagine, the vehicle packages all Mustang GT Premium and Performance Package content into a vehicle that maintains the original Bullitt’s understated persona – there’s an active valve performance exhaust system with new Black NitroPlate exhaust tips that’s been re-tuned to give the car its signature burble, a new Open Air Induction System, and a Shelby GT350 intake manifold.
Other features that pay tribute to the car McQueen drove are subtle chrome accents around the grille and front windows, classic torque thrust 19-inch aluminium wheels, red-painted Brembo brakes, and a unique black front grille. Inside and out, the vehicle uses minimal badging; only the circular faux gas cap Bullitt logo on the rear centre is visible on the exterior.
READ: Time to Perfect Your Ice Driving Skills
Modern touches include a heated leather steering wheel and a 12-inch all-digital LCD instrument cluster, identical in function to the cluster introduced on 2018 Mustang, but with a unique Bullitt welcome screen that starts in green with an image of the car rather than the pony.
Exterior paint choices are limited to Shadow Black and the classic Dark Highland Green, as worn in the movie, while the leather-trimmed interior features unique green accent stitching on the dashboard, door panels, center console and seats.
READ: We Bless the Rains Down in Africa with Wilderness Safaris
Getting in on the action, a third-generation member of the McQueen family, Molly, recently introduced the new Mustang in footage that has her racing a new Mustang Bullitt through a parking structure battling a Dodge Charger for the final free space.
For more Auto inspiration click here.
