2019 Ford Mustang GT Bullitt test drive
The 2019 Ford Mustang GT Bullitt is a tribute to the famous Steve McQueen film and like the pony car's greatest hits, says Fox News Autos editor Gary Gastelu
The 2019 Mustang GT Bullitt is “awesome,” and that has nothing to do with its connection to the Hollywood thriller it gets its name from.
I know this because a 9-year-old told me so. He had no idea who Steve McQueen was, but boy did he flip when he saw the car. So did my son, who is literally colorblind and thought it was red. This eliminated the possibility that he’d heard me talking about a dark highland green Mustang driven by a guy who dared to coordinate a navy blue turtleneck with a brown blazer and intuitively made the association.
For many of those old enough to have seen the film on the silver screen, it’s an instantaneous one, and you’ll find them gathering around the Bullitt like moths to a flame. It’s good news for Ford that they’re not alone, because they aren’t getting any younger and the movie isn’t anywhere near the Netflix Top 100, even though it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
An all-new 2019 Mustang BULLITT shares the stage with the original 1968 Mustang GT that starred with Steve McQueen in the movie “Bullitt.” Both cars are on display at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Heck, even Steve McQueen’s granddaughter Molly told me at the unveiling of the car in January that she’d only seen it “once or twice,” and I’m not so sure if she ever did because “once or twice” is the least believable answer to pretty much any question about things you’ve done. She did say that she’d watched the chase on YouTube “a bunch of times,” however, which sounds about right.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of iconic movie “Bullitt” and its fan-favorite San Francisco car chase, Ford introduces the new cool and powerful 2019 Mustang Bullitt.
Ford got the new Bullitt very right. The visual ties to the on-screen machine go beyond the paint to the blank grille, the silver-rimmed and black-spoked wheels, and the chrome trim around the grille and side windows, none of which are available on any other Mustangs. Neither are the “Bullitt” logos. There are six scattered around the car, which is probably five too many. Frank Bullitt was a plain-clothes detective, after all.
But the Bullitt is far from just a paint and stickers tribute. It’s essentially a GT Premium – complete with a digital gauge cluster and heated/ventilated seats – that’s also equipped a bunch of goodies from the Mustang’s optional Performance Pack. Among them are stronger shocks, big Brembo brake calipers, wide and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and a limited slip differential, which only comes connected to a six-speed manual transmission that’s topped by a white cue ball shifter. The front end is finished with a chin splitter that adds menace, while the rear spoiler is deleted to maintain some semblance of undercover style.
2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt
The Bullitt gets its own engine, too. It’s a special version of the GT’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8 that’s been fitted with the freer-breathing intake manifold and throttle body from the Mustang Shelby GT350’s motor, which gives it a 20 hp boost to 480 hp and makes the Bullitt the most powerful GT yet.
It also has an exhaust system that's tuned to make it sound as much like the pipes on the 1968 390 GT from the movie as possible. It won’t trick a cinephile, but it gives the Bullitt a unique and very loud voice. That is unless you switch it into quiet mode, which is enabled by a bypass valve, but even then it’s not exactly on the hush-hush.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of iconic movie “Bullitt” and its fan-favorite San Francisco car chase, Ford introduces the new cool and powerful 2019 Mustang Bullitt.
Prices start at $47,590, which is well in line with the sum of its parts. Ford will build as many as it can sell, but it’ll just be around for the next two years.
The only options available are an adjustable MagneRide suspension that you definitely want; an electronics package with things like a blind-spot warning system, an upgraded stereo and built-in navigation that you probably want; and snug, high-back Recaro sports seats that you should probably try on first.
MYSTERY OF STEVE MCQUEEN'S 'BULLITT' MUSTANG FINALLY SOLVED:
They’re snug and a good call if you plan to take the Bullitt to the track, but it's more of a street fighter and the standard buckets are just the thing for a double surveillance shift. Either way, it's equally quick and that engine loves to growl all the way up to its 7,400 rpm redline. If the sharp handling is any different than a regular GT’s, I can’t say I noticed or cared, because it’s spot-on without being too rough for the road. You could cruise around comfortably in it all day, and you can bet that I did. This kind of balance is where Mustangs shine.
(Ford)
And you can get an even shinier Bullitt, because Ford also offers it in black. I don’t get why, but honestly, they should unlock the full color palette. The combination of that engine and the performance bits is beautiful. Ford did build one in Kona Blue for an auction to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Association, but I'd love to see what it actually looks like in red.
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2019 Ford Mustang GT Bullitt
Base price: $47,590
Type: 4-passenger, 2-door, rear-wheel-drive coupe
Engine: 5.0-liter V8
Power: 480 hp, 420 lb-ft torque
Transmission: 6-speed manual
MPG: 15 city/24 hwy