(Silverstone Auctions)
Pop star Jay Kay is known for his dance moves, and he sure has good timing.
The Jamiroquai front man, and world renowned car collector, is putting his "Bullitt" Dodge Charger up for auction in the wake of the hoopla surrounding the resurfacing of the Ford Mustang that Steve McQueen drove in the classic film.
Silverstone Auctions (Musician Jay Kay had the car fully restored, spending $30,000 rebuilding the engine alone.)
The iconic Ford had been hidden from the public eye for decades before its owner came forward at the Detroit Auto Show in January to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the detecitve thriller.
Unfortunately, unlike the Mustang, Kay’s Dodge wasn’t actually used in the famous ‘Bullitt’ chase scene. It’s not even the right model year. But it does have a Hollywood connection.
The Charger was green when Demi Moore bought it for Bruce Willis. (Silverstone Auctions)
The 1969 Charger was previously owned by Bruce Willis. Demi Moore is said to have purchased it for him while they were married, and it was later customized to resemble the menacing car that played cat and mouse with McQueen’s Lieutenant Frank Bullitt character in the streets of San Francisco.
Willis also owned a 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible painted the same Highland Green color as the "Bullitt" coupe.
MYSTERY OF STEVE MCQUEEN'S 'BULLITT' MUSTANG FINALLY SOLVED:
Kay put the Dodge through a full restoration that included a $35,000 rebuild of its V8, which is bored and stroked from 440 to 502 cubic inches and sends 700 hp and 700 lb-ft through a three-speed Torqueflite transmission to a Dana 60 rear axle.
The interior is so clean it looks screen ready. (Silverstone Auctions)
The car will be crossing the block at the Silverstone Auctions event in England on Feb 24, where it’s expected to sell for $70,000 to $85,000.
That's about the same as what Willis got for it at a Bonhams auction in 2008, and far less than the $1 million that the car that's believed to be the only surviving Charger from the making of "Bullitt"was being shopped around for in 2013 by collector Arnold Welch.
That Charger was purchased by Carlyle Motors in Katy, Tex., and quickly sold through a broker in Germany to an anonymous buyer. The folks at Carlyle won't say exactly how much they paid for it, but that they probably sold it "too cheap."
As for where it is now, Mopar archivist Dave Wise says that's the last anyone's heard of it.
Whether or not its owner is interested in getting on the "Bullitt" bandwagon remains a mystery.