That's a lot of Dark Highland Green Mustang attitude!
Even as THE authentic Steve McQueen-driven Bullitt Mustang prepares to sell for a fortune in January, last week's GAA Classic Cars auction proved that you can still pick up one of these cars without breaking the bank. Including the original 1968 Mustang Fastback, there have been four generations of Bullitt Mustangs (three produced by Ford in 2001, 2008/9 and 2019/20), and each has become a modern classic.
This auction saw three of the four Bullitt Mustang generations cross the auction block, and each showed that these popular movie-inspired models still provide promising investment opportunities for collectors. Of the three, two came from the same collection and proved to be the most valuable. The 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback Bullitt Tribute sold for $49,000, while the 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt hammered for $46,595 (this price was slightly less than the $51,760 MSRP showing on the car's original window sticker). The rare, black 2001 Mustang Bullitt GT ended up selling for just $14,000.
Looking just like the famous movie car, the '68 Mustang is a 2+2 GT Fastback with American Racing Torque Thrust wheels, and it's been stripped of all the identifying Mustang badges. Unlike the Bullitt hero car, though, this Mustang is powered by a 351W V8 (instead of the GT's 390 CID V8), but it does have some upgrades like a serpentine belt system and aluminum heads. While McQueen's Mustang had a four-speed manual, this car lets the driver shift through a five-speed Tremec manual transmission with an aluminum driveshaft.
The 2019 Mustang Bullitt has the same cool attitude as the '68, but with more style, better performance and cutting-edge technology. This car was sold new in North Carolina, and it is equipped with the Bullitt Electronics Package adding 12-speaker B&O premium audio system, voice-activated navigation and blind-spot monitor. It is also equipped with the Magne-Ride Damping System to make sure this Mustang handles as good as it looks.
As for the 2001 Mustang Bullitt GT, Ford only made 5,582 of these in total, but only 1,819 were painted in Black (the signature Dark Highland Green and True Blue were also available colors that year). These Bullitt Mustangs received some engine tweaks to the 4.6-liter V8 for better air flow and power, which helped squeeze an extra 5 horsepower from the engine giving the Bullitt 265 horsepower, as well as specially tuned suspension that was firmer and lowered for a cooler look and better handling.
