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NY BULLIT MUSTANG (OG LITT OM DEN OPPRINNELIGE): Mustang Bullitt
announcement Ford
announced it will introduce the 2001 Mustang Bullitt GT, a performance
derivative inspired by the legendary1968 Mustang Fastback that co-starred
with Steve McQueen in theclassic Warner Bros. Pictures film,
"Bullitt.". The decision to put the Bullitt into production came
after Ford received overwhelming positive response from consumers who
first saw a concept version of the car at the 2000 Los Angeles Auto Show.
"The movie has some of the greatest car-chase
Twin
57mm bore throttle body
Cast
aluminum intake manifold
High
flow mufflers for increased power and aggressive performance sound
Optimized
alternator and pump pulley ratios
Bullitt's
suspension translates this power into crisp road manners. The vehicle is
lowered three-fourths of an inch to generate a firmer, better-balanced
ride and improved handling characteristics. The performance-handling
package includes:
Re-valved
Tokico struts and shocks
Unique
stabilizer bars (front and rear)
Frame
rail connectors
Thirteen-inch
Brembo front rotors and performance calipers provide excellent stopping
capability. The calipers are painted red and are visible through the
17-inch wheels spokes when the car is parked or when it is cruising the
streets of San Francisco.
"Bullitt
is quick off the line, handles great, stops fast and shifts easily with
improved pedal relationship," says Art Hyde, Mustang chief program
engineer. "This is the best performing GT we have ever
produced."
Inside,
Bullitt features performance bucket seats with Dark Charcoal leather trim.
A brushed aluminum shifter ball, shifter bezel, door sill plates with
Bullitt nomenclature and aluminum pedal covers accent the interior's
performance appearance. The instrument cluster is a modern interpretation
of 1960s design and offers unique curved numeric speedometer graphics and
a white-lit background.
"With
the Mustang Bullitt, we have a lot of functional features that would make
Steve McQueen and Lt. Frank Bullitt proud today," says O'Connor.
"Bullitt has elevated the GT into an unforgettable car that enhances
Ford's performance
reputation and builds on Mustang's performance
tradition that began
with vehicles like the Mach 1, Boss 302 and the 428 Cobra Jet."
All
these features are included for a package price of $3,695 MSRP. There will
be a limited production of about 5,000 Mustang Bullitt GTs built on the
same line of the Dearborn Assembly Plant that produces
the V6, GT and Cobra Mustangs. Each Bullitt will come with a unique
serialized identification
label from the factory to ensure exclusivity and collectability.
Ford
marked Mustang's 35th anniversary in 1999 with across-the-board improvements,
including major styling, powertrain and handling upgrades. Increases in
horsepower and torque gave more muscle to both the V-6 and V-8
engines and reduced 0-60 mph and quarter-mile acceleration times.
The
exterior design harkens back to the concept of the original pony car, with
styling cues like the classic long hood and
short deck, a prominent hood
scoop, enlarged sculptured side scoops with a bold triangular shape, and
the vehicle's signature tri-bar taillamps.
Mustang
enthusiasts recognize familiar details like the rear spoiler, honeycomb
grille textures, and side character
lines.
Mustang
boasted sales of 418,812 its first year
on the market after making its
debut at the New York World's Fair in 1964.
The millionth Mustang was produced in Dearborn, Michigan in 1966. Since
then, the all-American sports car has become one of the legendary automotive
brands and more than
seven million Mustangs have been sold. Ford Motor Co. is the world's
largest producer of trucks and the second-largest
producer of cars and trucks combined, marketing and selling approximately
7 million vehicles globally through its seven brands last year. Ford
Motor Co. employs approximately 345,000 people
in plants, offices and
laboratories to serve consumers in more than
200 countries and territories. Ford Motor Co. is also one of the largest
providers of financial services
worldwide through Ford Credit and related
businesses. Ford Motor
Co. provides consumers and commercial financial
services through 2,400
branches in 33 countries.
Steve
McQueen's heirs have been working closely
with Ford on this project and look forward to honoring the memory of Mr. McQueen.
Warner
Bros. Consumer Products, a division of Time
Warner Entertainment
Company, L.P., is one of the leading
licensing and retail merchandising
organizations, which includes a vast
library of intellectual properties and the Warner Bros. Studio
Stores.
1968
FORD MUSTANG FASTBACK 'BULLITT' REPLICA
In
1968, Steve McQueen thrilled theater audiences with one of the most memorable
car chases ever to grace the screen. Driving a sinister-looking Mustang
Fastback, the actor - as Lt. Frank Bullitt - careened over the streets
of San Francisco at high speeds in pursuit of a pair of mob hit men. Just
like the most famous Mustang Fastback in the
world, Dave Kunz's "Bullitt" replica came from the factory with Ford's
390-cubic-inch big block engine,
four-speed transmission and, most importantly,
the "Highland Green"
exterior color. Sold
at California Motors Ford in Glendale, Calif.,
in July 1968, the car was
owned by the original purchasers until 1986. Kunz, a photographer for KABC-TV
in Los Angeles, bought the car in 1992 in
mostly original condition.
It still had all its GT factory equipment intact, including slotted steel
wheels, fog lamps, quad exhaust tips and C-stripes
on the sides. With just
87,000 miles on the odometer, the car was in excellent shape, even sporting
the factory exhaust system.
When
the 1994 Northridge earthquake struck, the
Mustang suffered paint damage from a falling shop light. The car was repainted
in the original Highland
Green color, but the white C-stripes were
left off so that transformation
to Bullitt-replica status could begin.
American Racing wheels were
added and the chrome trim was removed from
the grille. Other subtle touches
were employed to finish off the look. The car has been featured in Randy Leffingwell's book "Mustang," as well as in Mustang and Fords and Mustang Monthly magazines. In 1997, Ford of Europe launched its new Puma with an advertising campaign built around the "Bullitt" chase scene. Its agency, Young and Rubicam, spent six days in San Francisco filming the Puma in various locations. At the end of the 60-second spot, the Puma is backed into a garage next to Kunz's Mustang. In the finished commercial, McQueen's image is digitally imposed into the Puma as if he were driving the car. The Mustang returned to San Francisco in 1999, this time as part of a European automotive media event to launch the Puma. Ford photographed the Mustang and Puma together at various locations in the city to continue the "Bullitt" theme that is now associated with Puma all over Europe. Wherever the "Bullitt" replica goes in Southern California - whether attending the annual Fabulous Fords Forever show at Knott's Berry Farm, taking in cruise night at the historic Bob's Big Boy in Toluca Lake, or tooling down the Hollywood Freeway - it's almost always recognized for its resemblance to the Mustang that McQueen drove on the big screen.
WHERE
IS THE REAL 'BULLITT' MUSTANG?
For
the filming of "Bullitt," two 1968 Mustang Fastbacks
were used from the
Warner Brothers fleet for actor Steve McQueen's movie character. Once
the Mustangs were selected, veteran race driver
and builder Max Balchowski
was enlisted to modify the cars for the
rigors of the high-speed pursuit
scenes. Balchowski added stronger springs
and Koni shocks, and he
fabricated braces for the inner fenders. He also
did some minor tuning to the
390-cubic-inch engine for a little more top-end power.
After
filming was completed, the primary car was
in sad shape. Two weeks of
stunt driving had taken its toll on the Mustang,
so it was sent to the crusher
due to liability concerns. The remaining
car, the less-damaged backup,
was sold to an employee of Warner Brothers' editing department.
In
the early 1970s, the car was advertised in a
classified ad in The Los Angeles
Times for the then princely sum of $6,000.
A buyer was found and the
car eventually made its way to the East Coast. The Mustang went up for
sale again in 1974, this
time in an ad in Road & Track. It is reported that Steve McQueen himself
called the New Jersey number
in the ad with a desire to purchase the car for his own collection. He
was told the car had been sold, but was given
the name and number of the buyer. McQueen
tried to persuade the new owner to resell
it, but to no avail. The new
owner did promise to contact him if he ever did decide to sell. McQueen
died in 1980 with no contact from the owner.
Whenever
contacted by prospective buyers or media,
the owner has refused
offers of purchase or publicity. The car
has been in non-running condition
for some time. The
car remained in New Jersey until the mid-1990s,
when it was moved to a
farm in the Ohio River Valley. Parked in a hay
barn, the Mustang remained
inoperable, still wearing New Jersey tags.
A film company recently
made an offer to the owner for its use
in a motion picture. The owner
declined.
Sincerely,
Dave
Marchand
Mustang/Thunderbird
Club Center
Phone:
1-800-576-PONY/1-800-TBIRD10
Fax:
1-248-488-3696
Address:
PO Box 2909
Farmington
Hills, MI 48333
See also: http://www.people.freenet.de/pony/bullit.htm
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