Ford
Mustang GT 390 Fastback (Bullitt film cars)

Why it matters

The Bullitt Mustang is one of the best-known film cars ever made: the hero car Steve McQueen drove in the 1968 San Francisco chase. It survived in its scuffed film paint, re-emerged in 2018 after decades in one family's hands, became the 21st vehicle on the US National Historic Vehicle Register and in 2020 became the most expensive Mustang sold at auction.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Two identically specified Highland Green Mustang GT fastbacks with 390 V8 engines were used in Bullitt. Max Balchowsky prepared them with a modified engine, a heavy-duty clutch and Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed, a 4.10 Positraction rear axle, Koni shocks and frame reinforcements. The hero car, serial ending '559, was the one McQueen drove in many scenes; the jump car, '558, took the punishment of the chase.

After filming the hero car passed to private owners; in 1974 it was bought through a Road & Track classified advertisement, and the family kept it for 44 years, refusing McQueen's own 1977 offer to buy it back. It was revealed beside the new Mustang Bullitt at the 2018 Detroit motor show and sold at Mecum Kissimmee in January 2020 for $3,740,000 to a private collection. The heavily damaged jump car had been rediscovered in Mexico shortly before the 2018 reveal.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Bullitt Mustang guide Level B AmericanMuscle

   • provided two identical 1968 Mustang GT 390 fastbacks for filming
   • the 390 cubic-inch FE-series V8 produced 325 hp and 427 lb-ft of torque

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   McQueen's 1968 Bullitt Mustang – The Back Story (THE SHOP) Level C

   • 2 Mustang GT fastbacks used in the film: hero car '559 and jump car '558

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   McQueen's 1968 Bullitt Mustang – The Back Story Level C THE SHOP Staff · THE SHOP · 2018-01-25

   • heavily damaged 'jump car' which was recently discovered in Mexico
   • 390 ci engine built by Balchowsky
   • Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual
   • Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed
   • 4:10 Positraction rear end

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   Mecum Kissimmee 2020 Auction Results Level C Sports Car Digest · 2020-01

   • original and running condition

   Accessed 2026-11-12
5. 5
   1968 Ford Mustang GT "Bullitt", lot F150 (Kissimmee 2020) Level C Mecum Auctions · 2020-01-10

   • Rebuilt S-code 390 CI V-8 engine
   • 4-barrel carburetor

   Accessed 2026-11-12