Cut to the Chase

One of the greatest movie star cars is for sale for the first time since 1974

The sales prospects of the genuine Bullitt Ford Mustang GT390, plus a stunning Bugatti Type 57C Stelvio Cabriolet

Do we really need to point out that this is the very Mustang GT that starred in the 1968 movie Bullitt? One of two cars used for filming, this was the ‘hero car’ – the better one that appears in most of the footage. And it is largely unrestored and even still wears the bracketry that was welded to the sills to mount cameras.

For the last 45 years it has been with the same family, who recently lent it to Ford for promotional work, but it finally comes to market at Mecum Auctions’ January 2020 sale in Florida. We asked Kieron Maughan from the rockstarcars.co.uk website for his take on the car’s fame and potential value.

‘The story of the Steve Mcqueen Bullitt Mustang is one of the best lost and founds in history, almost worthy of a film in its own right. Probably the most iconic film car ever for guys of a certain age, Bullitt had everything in its 113-minute runtime – the presence of the King of Cool himself, Jaqueline Bisset in a Porsche 356, and for ten minutes one of the best car chases in history.

‘Following the film and Warner Brothers’ sale of the car, its next owner was a detective, also called Frank, like Bullitt. It was then sold to a family, the Kiernans, who used it as a daily driver. The wife, a teacher, used to burble to school in it. The idea that such an amazing piece of history was being used daily amazes me, and the

fact that Steve Mcqueen wrote to the family trying to buy the car back in 1977 speaks volumes about its importance – both to him, and to every Bullitt fan on the planet.

‘This is one of the most iconic cars ever, probably more recognisable than John Lennon’s psychedelic Rolls-royce, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Kowalski’s Challenger combined, and probably as well known as Bond’s DB5. Unless market uncertainty upsets it – which I doubt – this is set to become the world’s most expensive Mustang, which means it should top the $2.2m paid for a GT500 Super Snake earlier this year. Will it be the first $3m ’Stang?’

For further information see bullitt.mecum.com

‘It’s probably more recognisable than John Lennon’s Rolls-royce, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Kowalski’s Dodge Challenger combined’

The Kiernan family went public with their Hollywood heirloom a few years ago, sending collectors from several churches wild at the prospect of it coming to market