Words: Chris Fincham; Pix: Ellen Dewar
What's so good about the Unique Cars Bullitt Mustang? Editor Chris Fincham explains...
Forty years after it first hit the big screen, the frenetic car chase from the iconic Bullitt movie still takes your breath away. From start to finish, it’s just over nine minutes of raw, nail-biting action and, despite the lack of computer-generated special-effects, is still regarded as Hollywood’s greatest car chase ever.
While the bad guy’s black Dodge Charger deserves a mention, it’s the dark green 1968 GT Mustang Fastback driven by San Francisco cop Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) that rightly received all the acclaim.
Just two were supplied by Ford for the movie; one used for hard driving action, the other for close-ups. It seems the action car was so badly beaten up it ended up in the crusher, while the other car still exists and is fiercely guarded by its anonymous owner.
So where does that leave fans of the most famous Mustang of them all? Only a few, movie-correct Bullitt replicas have been produced over the years, given the fact getting the right look on the right car is not easy, nor that affordable.
As Bullitt aficionados would know, the McQueen car was no ordinary Mustang: a genuine big block 390ci V8 GT Fastback sporting a menacing, minimalist look which is immediately identifiable to fans of the movie.
So you’ll be pleased to hear that Unique Cars, in conjunction with Shannons Insurance and Antique Tyres, has built an authentic replica of the Bullitt Mustang and is giving it away to one lucky reader.
As you can see from the photos, the Unique Cars Bullitt looks like it’s come straight off the movie set, from the famous Highland Green paint right down to the Torq-Thrust D wheels and ‘JJZ 109’ California plates!
To get such a stunning, realistic result, we once again called on the talents of Unique Cars’ Mustang guru, Phil Walker. But it proved to be no easy task tracking down a car that met our quality as well as budgetary requirements. Original ‘S Code’ 390 GT Fastbacks are thin on the ground, and have become even more popular since Ford released a Bullitt version of the latest ’Stang.
“This was our second attempt to find a Bullitt car, as the first time we tried, there were few around, and they were too dear,” Phil explains. “Completed Bullitt cars were over US$80,000, so I thought, why don’t we buy one and do our own? With my expertise and contacts I’m sure we can make a nice car.”
After putting the word out, and spending countless hours scouring the web and on the phone to the US, Phil finally tracked down a suitable example in Denver, Colarado. It had been in the current owner’s possession for 10 years and, despite being the wrong colour (Candy Apple Red), had all the desirable bits including overhead console, factory disc brakes and power steering, Top Loader four-speed manual, and nine-inch diff.
Phil hopped on the next bomber to San Francisco, drove to Denver and, after confirming the car’s credentials and excellent, restored condition, the deal was done.
Upon it arriving in Melbourne, the first job was to take it to Brimbank Body Repairs in Melbourne’s west, which had also been entrusted with the preparation of our previous ’57 Chev and Shelby Mustang replica giveaway cars.
Peter and son Cain stripped the car down completely and, after rubbing back the panels, revealed a surprisingly flawless body with no sign of major damage. It was then repainted in the correct, PPG-sourced Highland Green Metallic, which gives it the tough Bullitt look as well as a delightful sparkle in sunlight.
“It was a huge job,” Phil admits. “Most panel shops stay away from the colour changes because you just have to do it right.”
Of course, there’s much more to a Bullitt car than a sexy green exterior. The story goes that only one of the Mustangs supplied in the movie was a GT, so both cars had their badging and grilles removed, to look alike.
While Phil liked the look of the GT badges and decided to keep them, the rest of the car is all Bullitt. The square Deluxe side mirrors were ditched for round painted alternatives; the original grille with its driving lights and pony badge was replaced with a plainer black version, and the chrome moulds near the doors had to go.
“If you look at most replicas they paint the sill moulds green, and it’s a really cheap way of doing it, so we took them off and lead-filled the holes and painted it,” adds Phil.
Little needed to be done to the interior, which already had the black trim and upper console with deluxe wood-grain instrument panel. While in great condition, you could say it has an authentic ‘lived in’ feel, as McQueen’s daily driver would have. A Shelby-style, wood-rimmed steering wheel completes the look.
New 15x7inch American Racing Torq-Thrust D wheels are wrapped in period-style BF Goodrich Comp T/A rubber supplied by Antique Tyres in Melbourne’s Heidelberg West – 205/65-15 at the front and 235/60-15 (rear). “The rake is about an inch lower at the front, purely through the different tyre profiles,” Phil explains. “If I had my way the car would be lower, but that’s the way the Bullitt car sat.”
Underbody presents almost as cleanly as the top, with the standard leaf-spring set-up benefitting from additional underarm traction bars and adjustable camber for improved get-up-and-go.
The dual exhaust is fitted with an H-pipe balance kit to cure the big block’s tendency to crackle and backfire, while still permitting a healthy V8 growl. The 242kW, 390ci 4V V8 has been freshened up, with a bottom end rebuild including new crankshaft and resized bearings.
Amongst the rare factory options on the car were green tinted glass and 8000rpm tacho, although the lazy, big-block with its mountains of low-down torque doesn’t require much revving beyond 3000!
Phil, who owns a Shelby Mustang – amongst other pristine classics – and takes great pride in the quality of the cars he’s involved with, is very happy with the finished product.
“After a few months’ work and a lot of fiddling, the car has come up a treat,” he declares. “I rate this an honest nine out of ten. I’d have it in my garage any day of the week.”
And he’s not the only one who feels this way, with the car attracting plenty of attention, from both young and old, during the few occasions it’s been out in public.
“You wouldn’t get more attention if you had a naked woman on the roof,” admits Phil. In fact, while weaving down Latrobe Street in Melbourne’s CBD during the photoshoot, there were bystanders yelling “Steve McQueen” and taking photos of the car and its stand-in driver!
Of course, it’s not an exact replica, with the absence of black leather wrap on the steering wheel just one minor difference. But with a prize value of $80,000, including 12 months Shannons Insurance, delivery and on-road costs, you’d be hard pressed to find a more faithful or better presented recreation anywhere.
It’s also missing the dent McQueen put on the front guard to make the movie car seem authentic for a cop with neither the time nor cash to repair it. We’ll leave it to whoever wins this magnificent car to decide whether to add that finishing touch!
Did you know…
■ Steve McQueen, an accomplished race driver, didn’t do all the driving scenes in the movie. His instincts wouldn’t let him slide the rear end, so stunt driver Bud Ekins did some of the driving.
■ Famed Hollywood customiser Max Balchowsky modified the 242kW 390 V8 in the Mustang so it could keep up with the more powerful Charger with its 279kW 440ci Magnum V8.
■ At one stage Warner Bros threatened to cancel the car chase completely unless it could be staged under “properly controlled conditions” – i.e. on Warners’ Hollywood lot. McQueen threatened to “kill the whole goddamn picture if they forced us to fake the car chase”.
■ The part where McQueen overshoots a right turn, backs up, and then smokes the Mustang’s left rear tyre, was a mistake, but looked so good that it was used in the movie.
■ The various locales in the nine minute, 12 second-long chase were carefully edited to create a route that doesn’t actually exist. Bullitt received an Oscar for it.
Click to see the videos: Part 1, Part 2