It only took Ford 40 years to get it right.
Edmunds has done a test and supplies a video of the result on their web site. It looks like a much better package than what was tried in 2001. Eager buyers will have a chance to pick up one of the 7000 that will be put up for sale for the 2008 model year for about $33,000.
Let’s face it, the newest Mustang platform fixed a lot of the inherent problems with the previous year’s platforms. And from that starting point Ford has created a Bullitt Mustang true to the spirit of the 1968 GT that starred in the greatest chase scene ever filmed.
Like the 1968 movie Mustangs the front grill is sans any horse or fog lights. They keep all the bling off this car, as they should, and by doing so, they achieve the look that McQueen often went for on his own cars. It comes in the appropriate Highland Green as well as black. The seats are improved by replacing the GT seats with ones from the Cobra version. The brakes have been upgraded with carbon front pads. Thank goodness they didn’t put bright red calipers on this car. The wheels are 18” made to echo the look of the original’s Torq-Thrusts.
From the sounds of the review they did pretty much the right things to the suspension by giving it a lower stance and control in the turns. As is typical with most car manufacturers (particularly the American) there is an abundance of understeer built in, but a good tuner should be able to remove that with a larger rear anti-roll bar and more aggressive alignment settings.
Thanks to Bill for the link.
JIM'S GARAGE 
I saw those reviews too – looks pretty good if you ask me. They even added 3.73 gears to liven up the 5-speed. Have they shared MSRP?
And I think you meant understeer Jim 😉
I think I did too! Thanks. 🙂
Ahhh, I think that was a ’67 Mustang in the movie. No side lights, as I recall. Those would have made it a ’68.
I’m sure the new one is nice, but I hope it is not cursed with the standard Mustang interior, which is, IMHO, one of the ugliest on the planet.
Nope it was a 1968 and the VIN was 8R02S125559. It was built in late 1967, but is correctly a 1968.
The interior of the 2008 Bullitt has better seats and some machined aluminum on the dash. Its OK, but nothing fantastic.
OK, it was a ’68, but your write up calls it a ’78…
“…And from that starting point Ford has created a Bullitt Mustang true to the spirit of the 1978 GT that starred in the greatest chase scene ever filmed.” A slip of the finger, of course!
But “greatest chase scene?” Debatable, although Bullit was the first of the really intense car chases, and all the others start from there.
Most notably there’s the one in The French Connection, and I think the chase in The Bourne Identity is about as good, especially since the Bourne character is in a measly little original Mini in Paris traffic.
Still, the one in Bullit set the stage, and is usually the one thing about that movie everyone remembers.
Chases in ordinary cars are among the most interesting and fun, as opposed to James Bond or other action hero in some car with a 6-figure price tag, or chases that are more about special effects jumps and other impossible stuff.
Thanks for the correction Noel. Darn those fingers of mine! I can never trust them.
Yes, it will always be a debate over what the greatest chase scene ever was. I have a list of car movies in this blog that point out some great movies with great chase scenes. Some would say the original Gone in 60 Seconds.
I certainly agree with you on the Bourne Identity and maybe Ronin deserves a plug as well.
I also whole heartedly agree that the believable chases are what make it a great chase.
The Getaway in Stockholm series are some interesting approaches to making real life chases.
Sometimes, atypical chase scenes are interesting too. For example, in the Beverly hills cop movies they had a chase in a tractor trailer and in the sequel, they had a cement mixer. I think there have been chases in city buses, and other unsuspecting vehicles. And, while on James bond films, I kinda liked the tank chase from “Goldeneye”.
I guess that’s a whole ‘nother blog post there Jim – what makes for a great chase?
Is it?
1) Super cars doing spectacular stunts?
2) Average door slammers dueling it out, trading paint, losing hubcaps, etc as they careen their way through traffic?
3) sub-standard vehicles being driven in spectatucal maner
4) A-typcial vehicles being pressed into desperate road manuevers – tour buses, tractor trailers , fire trucks, cranes (Terminator 3), earthmoving equipment, military equipment, even jumbo jets?
4)
Is the Mach 1 and Cobra next.