The Mustang in Bullitt was more than a movie prop. It was a pair of specially prepared 1968 Ford Mustang GT fastbacks, driven hard through San Francisco for one of cinema’s most influential car chases. One of those cars survived, disappeared into private ownership for decades, and eventually sold for $3.74 million.
Here are six documented facts that separate the real Bullitt Mustang from the myths surrounding it.
1. The surviving car is a Highland Green 1968 Mustang GT fastback
The famous surviving Bullitt car is a two-door fastback with VIN 8R02S125559. It began life as a Highland Green 1968 Mustang GT equipped with Ford’s 390-cubic-inch V8, rated at 325 horsepower and fitted with a four-barrel carburetor.
That specification matters because the car was not a special factory-built “Bullitt” model. Ford created the later Bullitt-edition Mustangs as tributes, but the original movie car was a production Mustang GT modified for filming. Its original engine remains with the vehicle.
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The muted green paint is one of the car’s defining visual features. The production team deliberately dulled the exterior finish and removed most of the bright identification that would have made the Mustang look more like a showroom car.
2. There were two nearly identical Mustangs
Warner Bros. purchased two sequential-VIN Mustangs for the production:
| VIN | Role in filming |
|---|---|
| 8R02S125558 | Heavily modified for jumps, impacts, and destructive stunt work |
| 8R02S125559 | Primarily the hero car, used for close-ups and scenes featuring McQueen |
The distinction is important. The car associated most closely with Steve McQueen and the close-up shots is “559,” now the documented surviving hero car. “558” endured much harsher stunt use and was later rediscovered in Baja California, Mexico.
That is why statements claiming there was only one Bullitt Mustang are incorrect. Two cars carried the same basic appearance, but they had different jobs and different fates.
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The production cars needed to survive repeated high-speed runs, jumps, and hard landings. Vehicle supervisor Max Balchowsky and his team made substantial mechanical and cosmetic changes rather than simply driving two standard Mustangs straight off a dealer’s lot.
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The modifications included:
- Heavy-duty four-speed transmissions and clutches
- Modified 390-cubic-inch V8 engines
- Reinforced suspension and chassis components
- A 4.10 Positraction rear axle
- American Racing wheels
The exterior was changed just as deliberately. Mustang and Ford badges were removed, reverse lights were taken off, and the Highland Green finish was dulled for the camera. The surviving car also retained evidence of its filming career, including remnants of camera mounts and modifications in the trunk.
This history is sometimes simplified into a claim that the car was fully restored after filming. In reality, it was repaired and repainted for resale, but the hero car retained significant features connected to its time on the set.
4. McQueen drove the Mustang, but did not do every stunt
Steve McQueen performed substantial on-screen driving, which helped make the Mustang feel like an extension of his character, Lieutenant Frank Bullitt. However, the dangerous work was shared with professional stunt drivers.
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The production used genuine high-speed driving, jumps, and hard cornering. The surviving-car registry records speeds approaching 110 mph during the chase work. That combination of real locations, practical stunt driving, and relatively restrained editing is a major reason the sequence still feels physical decades later.
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So the accurate version is not “McQueen did all the driving.” He drove the Mustang for important footage, while stunt professionals took over when the risks became extreme.
5. The hero car vanished from public view for decades
After filming, Warner Bros. sold Mustang “559” to company employee Robert Ross. In 1970, it passed to New Jersey detective Frank Marranca. Four years later, Robert Kiernan bought it after responding to a classified advertisement in Road & Track.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe Kiernan family did not immediately treat the Mustang as a priceless movie artifact. They used it as a daily and family car before eventually putting it into storage. That ordinary ownership history helped preserve a vehicle that might otherwise have been heavily restored or separated from its original parts.
The car was publicly revealed in Detroit in January 2018. It became the 21st vehicle added to the National Historic Vehicle Register through work involving the Historic Vehicle Association, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Library of Congress.
Its registration documented the car’s identity and condition rather than relying solely on its celebrity. The VIN, surviving mechanical components, filming-related modifications, and ownership trail all helped connect the stored Mustang to the car seen in Bullitt.
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6. It sold for $3.74 million in 2020
The documented hero car, VIN 8R02S125559, was sold by Mecum at its Kissimmee auction on January 10, 2020. The hammer price was $3.4 million; including the buyer’s premium, the reported total was $3.74 million.
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The buyer was not publicly identified. The Kiernan family consigned the car, so it is not accurate to state that Sean Kiernan still owns it. There is no authoritative public source identifying the vehicle’s subsequent owner.
The sale attracted attention because it established a remarkable price for a Mustang and reflected the car’s unusually complete history: a recognizable VIN, surviving original engine, documented film use, visible production modifications, and long-term private ownership.
It is also better to describe the figure simply as the car’s 2020 sale price. Although $3.74 million was a Mustang auction record at the time, later Mustang sales surpassed it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the Bullitt Mustang still matters
The car’s significance comes from the combination of machine and evidence. It was a fastback Mustang GT with serious production modifications, but it also retained the physical clues that connect it to the film: its identity, its altered body and chassis, its camera-mount remnants, and its unusually well-documented history.
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Ford later borrowed the name and visual formula for Bullitt editions, but those tribute cars are not the original movie vehicle. The surviving Mustang is valuable because it is the actual car associated with the production—not merely a similarly equipped green 1968 fastback.
FAQ
What engine did the original Bullitt Mustang have?
The surviving hero car had a 390-cubic-inch V8 rated at 325 horsepower, with a four-barrel carburetor. Its original engine remains with the car.
Did Steve McQueen drive the Bullitt Mustang?
Yes, McQueen handled substantial on-screen driving, but he did not perform every stunt. Bud Ekins, Loren Janes, Bill Hickman, and other professional stunt drivers handled many of the more dangerous sequences.
How many Mustangs were used in Bullitt?
Two nearly identical Highland Green 1968 Mustang GT fastbacks were purchased for the film. VIN 8R02S125559 became the surviving hero car, while 8R02S125558 was used more heavily for stunt work.
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How much did the original Bullitt Mustang sell for?
Mecum sold the documented hero car on January 10, 2020, for a $3.4 million hammer price, or $3.74 million including the buyer’s premium. The buyer was not publicly identified.
The Bottom Line
The original Bullitt Mustang was not one untouched factory car and McQueen was not the only driver. It was one of two heavily modified 1968 Mustang GT fastbacks, with VIN 8R02S125559 serving as the hero car. After decades in private ownership, its documented history helped it sell for $3.74 million in 2020.
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