Cars and Drivers

Ford Prepped to Unveil a 2018 Bullitt Mustang GT

Paul Ausick

Published: January 10, 2018 1:35 pm

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 4:37 am

Everyone (well, maybe just every male) of a certain age has seen the 1968 Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt” at least half a dozen times. The car chase scene in the film is widely acknowledged as the best ever, and the car McQueen’s character drives is a dark-green Ford Mustang 390 GT fastback.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) sold a Bullitt Mustang in 2001 and again in 2008 and 2009. Among car aficionados, rumors have flown of a 2018 Bullitt Mustang to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the film’s first release. The latest is that Ford will take the wraps off the car at this weekend’s Detroit auto show, perhaps even jumping the gun and revealing the car on Friday.

Believers point to several signals that the Bullitt Mustang is on its way. In addition to some photos of the 2018 Bullitt Mustang, enthusiasts point to a listing for the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale (Arizona) auction on January 19, less than a week after the Detroit show.

This is the listing for the auction:

Lot #3006 – Ford Motor Company will auction a special new Ford Mustang to be sold with 100% of the hammer price benefiting Boys Republic.

McQueen attended Boys Republic, a California school for troubled teens, and graduated in 1946. He also twice served as the school’s honorary chairman, according to a report at Mustang6G.com.

The car available at auction is likely to be the first production model of the 2018 Bullitt Mustang. Ford previously auctioned first production models of new vehicles to support the company’s charitable giving programs.

Automotive News reports that the 2018 car will get a similar paint job to the movie original, along with five-spoke black wheels with a chrome lip (also in the movie) and other unique cosmetic features. Performance numbers are not known, nor is the number of cars Ford plans to build. You can be sure the number will be limited.