The limited edition Ford Mustang Bullitt car is back, ushering in a re-imagining of iconic Steve McQueen muscle car for 2018.
The original ‘Highland Green’ Mustang GT rose to fame in the 1970 movie Bullitt, where Steve McQueen playing the titular Frank Bullitt tore around the streets of San Francisco in what is regarded as one of the best movie car chases of all time.
This inspired Ford to create special editions of the green Mustang, taking modern editions of the muscle car and giving it a ‘Bullitt’ makeover, which involved a green paint job and performance tweaks.
But since 2008 there’s been no real hints of the Mustang Bullitt making a return, through reports in December were said to have spotted a new version lurking at a hotel outside a nearby car show.
Turns out that Ford did indeed have a new Bullitt in the works, as the car make took the covers off it at the Detroit Motor Show, all in time for the 50th anniversary of the Bullitt movie.
Available in just Shadow Black and classic Dark Highland Green, the Bullitt Mustang is devoid of any stripes and other extraneous detail that other ‘Stangs have.
Instead it tries to tap into the ‘effortless cool’ of Steve McQueen with subtle styling additions, such as 19-inch aluminium wheels and chrome accents – red colored Brembo brakes are probably the least subtle part of car.
That being said, the Bullitt still has the appearance of a squat and powerful muscle car, with angular grilles and sills giving it an aggressive aesthetic.
Under the hood, the Mustang sports proper muscle car power as well, with a 5.0-litre V8 capable of kicking out some 475bhp and 420lb ft of torque. All that power and poke can propel the the Bullitt to a top speed of 163mph, a good 8mph faster than the standard Mustang GT.
For true petrolheads, keen for a proper ‘driver experience’ there’s a manual gearbox so Bullitt owners can really feel like they are taming a charging Mustang.
On the inside the Mustang Bullitt is awash with leather accented with green stitching, while a 12-inch LCD display is the centerpiece of the infotainment system and gets a custom Bullitt welcome screen. It doesn’t appear to be the most tech-filled car from FOrd, but that’s beside the point as the Bullitt is all about charging down streets in muscle car style.
And thanks to an active valve performance exhaust system, the Mustang Bullitt will have a signature V8 burble which should alert onlookers to its presence.
There’s no word on a specific release date or price, but the Mustang Bullitt will make its way over to the UK and Europe around the summertime, and we suspect it’ll be a good bit more expensive than the standard Mustang GT.
Related: CES 2018 highlights
Which iconic car would you like to see get a retro remake? Let us know on our Facebook page or tweet @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
