Ford Mustang’s “golden” BULLITT
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Fifty years after the movie “Bullitt” you find yourself in a 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt.
You’re strafing the same streets of San Francisco, cable car rails rumbling under your wheels, the steep hill climbs and engine thrust pushing you back into the seat, the V8 exhaust burble resonating to a roar through open windows, the white cue ball shifter slick under your hand.
And your brain keeps shifting back to the most memorable moments of the movies’ famous chase scene - the jumps down Taylor St. You marvel at the inclines, thank God and Ford engineers for hill start assist and, hmmm, just for a minute you wonder if you might. .
“Don’t even think about it,” I muttered aloud.
It’s worth remembering that the specially-reinforced 1968 Mustangs in the movie got bent, banged up and burst oil pans on those jumps. It’s also worth remembering that I’m not Steve McQueen or one of his stunt drivers.
The original Mustangs in “Bullitt” were 325 hp 1968 390 V8 GT Fastbacks that tore up the city and scenery at speeds of up to 110 mph while setting a benchmark for chase scenes to follow.
But, as good as it looked and as iconic as the movie became, those original Mustangs would be no match for a new 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt that pays tribute to the silver screen legends with new levels of power and ability.
The 2019 model is the third Bullitt tribute car, following 2001 and 2008-2009 model year explorations.
And it’s the best Bullitt so far, harnessing a retuned 5.0-litre
V8 featuring a new Open Air Induction System mated with a Shelby GT350 intake manifold, 87 mm throttle bodies and a powertrain control module to optimize performance.
The 5.0-litre V8 makes 480 hp and 420 lb/ft of torque. That’s a 20 hp edge over the current Mustang GT and contributes to a slight increase in top speed (163 mph or 262 km/h), making it second only to the Shelby GT350.
One of the most iconic feature of the movie was the sound of the cars in the chase scene and the Bullitt’s active valve performance exhaust system mimics the soundtrack burbles and roars to a spine-tingling crescendo.
Yes, it all reinforces a kind over-aged adolescence - the juvenile joy of compulsive revving and throttle-blipping.
But, hey, it just never gets old.
And drivers can control the exhaust aggression with Normal, Sport and Track settings, and turn the rev-matching blips “on” or “off”. They can even switch to a Quiet Start setting to keep non-Bullitt fans from the front door on early mornings. The exhaust system is finished with quad exhaust tips coated in Black NitroPlate, a treatment first explored in the Ford Raptor.
As for the Bullitt’s ability to handle all that power - performance Brembo braking, a rigid chassis and a taut independent suspension have turned all sixth-generation Mustangs into true sports cars.
Even I might have smoked McQueen and his original Mustang on the corner-carving serpentine road we drove to the California coast. And that’s not bragging on my part, merely credit given to the sheer power, agility and ability of this new Bullitt.
Like the original, the 2019 Bullitt goes for an almost nondescript look with minimal effects. No pony on the unique black honeycomb grille and the noticeably wider, strakeless lower grille. There are no stripes, spoiler or other logos, just the “Bullitt” faux gas cap badge on the deck lid, also reflected inside on the steering wheel hub.
The Bullitt comes in Shadow Black or a Dark Highland Green that is the more obvious choice, as worn by the original in the movie. Subtle chrome accents around the grille and front side windows, classic torque metallic-ringed black 19-inch aluminum wheels and red-painted Brembo brakes bump up the Bullitt bling.
Inside, elements of the sixth generation Mustang GT Premium and Performance Package blend with Bullitt cues into a unique mix of understated sport car style.
Leather-trimmed upholstery features green accent stitches edging the console, door panels and trimming the aluminum dash insert. The six-speed manual transmission with rev matching is topped
with the aforementioned white cue ball shift knob, another nod to the original. And the standard 12-inch digital Mustang LCD instrument fires up with a Bullitt welcome screen showing the image of the car rather than the standard pony greeting.
The Bullitt was designed to come with a few available option packages but Ford Canada has elected to adopt two of them as standard equipment.
The Bullitt Electronics Package includes nav, B&O PLAY audio by HARMAN, blind spot alert and crosstraffic alert systems and the MagneRide semi-active suspension system has also been made standard. Special Recaro Ebony Black leather seats ($1,800) with greentinted “Recaro” embroidery and accent stitching remain optional.
The special edition Bullitt models will be numbered
and limited to 2019-2020 model years. How many they sell will depend on Mustang assembly line availability and demand.
And, based on my test drive, Ford definitely won’t have any problems with the demand side.
What’s Best: Probably the best pony car in the lineup. Even Mustang’s chief engineer has put his name down for one.
What’s Worst: Yeah, I got nothing here. Gas mileage maybe but then, if that’s a concern, you’re shopping in the wrong aisle, buddy.
What’s Interesting: The original 1968 390 V8 GT Fastback in the movie returned to San Francisco for the first time since Steve McQueen drove it 50 years ago. Cool as it was checking it out, I can’t help but think McQueen would elect for the 2019 Bullitt today.