Like most seventeen-year old teeneagers growing up in 1968 Detroit, cars were part of my DNA. It was an incredible era of horsepower and performance; handling and braking were secondary.
The release of Steve McQueen's BULLITT thriller, with an incredible car chase through San Francisco, made a lasting impression. While the visuals were spectacular for their day, the sounds impressed me as well, especially when Lt. Frank Bullitt over shoots a turn, slams the ‘68 Highland Green Mustang GT into reverse, and wheel pops the car with plenty of smoke (a smoke machine in the trunk added more), to pursue the bad guys in the black Dodge Charger. Who cares if the Charger loses more hub caps than wheels? Who cares if we see the same pokey VW Beetle going down the hill? Continuity just doesn't matter in the Bullitt chase scene. The power shifts and exhaust note of the car are simply incredible.
Years, and years, and more years go by. The automotive world, in this case, becomes the antique automotive world, and McQueen's BULLITT cars (two, for production purposes), become the Ark of the Covenant for gearheads. False sightings, false leads, until a car is found in Mexico that is the crash BULLITT car, and then, the hero car (McQueen's chase car) is found, owned by the Kiernan family in New Jersey. Working with Ford's release of their 2018 Bullitt Mustang (the third time, with previous releases in 2001 and 2008/09), the original Bullitt Mustang is driven onstage with the new 2018 version at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January of 2018. McQueen's granddaughter Molly drives the new car; Sean Kiernan, son of 1968 Bullitt Mustang owner, drives the Holy Grail. Molly McQueen also does a Ford BULLITT Mustang commercial, being pursued in a parking lot for an open space with the same feel and edge of her grandfather's film. All of this celebrates the 50th anniversary of the film. Talk about timing.
As part of the grand tour of the original car, the Historical Vehicle Association will include the Bullitt Mustang as part of a five-car series displayed on the Mall in Washington, D.C. My life-long interest in the car, and actually having the ability to see it in person, let alone photograph it, has me up at 5AM as the HVA crew unload the icon for display, removing a Plymouth Minivan that preceded it on display. Sean Kiernan, with the exception of Jay Leno at the Ford proving grounds, is the only driver of his parent's car. (His Mom Robbie, who used the Bullitt Mustang as a daily driver, is also at the HVA display). Sitting in the Reliable car transport, the 390 V-8 starts with a rumble, and plenty of blue smoke. I had forgotten what a car smells like, especially a big block V-8, that does not have a catalytic converter or any emission controls. I'm downwind, and the fumes are almost overwhelming. But the sound of the beast is pure joy to a gearhead, and after a career of photographing a lot of history, I get chills that I'm experiencing one of my greatest automotive dreams. THAT is the Bullitt Mustang, and it's coming off the truck.
As a car, the 1968 Bullitt Mustang is tired and worn. The patina is real, after a tough life. The car looks like the fighter it is; scarred, dented, rusted, far from perfect. The Highland Green paint has no luster, no shine. The rear bumper is rusted and pitted. But in this case, restoration would have been a terrible mistake. This is a car that does not need to be pretty. It is a genuine legend that has survived, and come to the forefront again. And that is why so many gearheads cherish it so, and that the Ford Motor Company continues to sell modern, shiny, and more powerful versions. All from a ten minute chase scene in moviedom that showcased a genuine Hollywood star who had a mystique seldom seen today.