Bullitt Mustang Will Not Be Restored by Still-Unknown Buyer

The mystery buyer who owns the most expensive Mustang in history — aka the Bullitt hero car — will retain its historic patina.

Earlier this year, the 1968 Ford Mustang GT hero car from the Steve McQueen movie Bullitt sold at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction for $3.4-million. That is the highest price ever paid for a Mustang, beating the previous record of $2.2-million, set by a 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake in 2019. The auction proceedings took more than 11 minutes and the atmosphere was electric, even for those watching at home.

However, after all of the fanfare surrounding this 1968 Mustang GT fastback over the past year had been punctuated by the record-setting auction sale, there were two key questions that went unanswered. Who paid $3.4-million for this movie car and after paying that much, does the new owner plan to keep the car in its current state or restore it to its former glory?

Thanks to the Instagram account of Sean Kiernan, whose family owned the Bullitt Mustang for several decades, we have the answer to one of those questions, along with some insight into the other.

The Real Bullitt Update

Back on January 14, Kiernan posted the picture below of the crowd at the Mecum auction during the sale of the 1968 Mustang GT from Bullitt. The account name is “TheRealBullitt” and the post has the tone of the end of a great book, as the previous owner moves on to new things with a few million dollars in his pocket.

I finally have some time this morning (after returning the deathtrap RV) to catch up on everything.

What an event this was and it was everything I could have asked for and more. Family, Friends and fans sending off Bullitt in the biggest way possible. Thank you to everyone that has been part of this journey. Whether you were there, watching on TV, computer or phone I promise your energy was in the room! Craziest thing I will ever do by far! My goal was to break records, done.

Also I wanted to answer some of the questions that are out there.

The identity of the new owner is not known yet. Everyone will know eventually.

The car is doing fine and will not be restored. Like that was even a thing?

The best photos are always taken by Mustang_Marie.

I will always have Mustangs and continue to be part of the Mustang family all over the planet.

I’ve already bought my next car and will show it once I clean the driver’s seat.

Next for me is building a garage that will fit more than 2 cars. Sam says I can’t have anymore cars until I have a place to put them. She didn’t say anything about tractors though.

There have been no posts on the account since this picture, and it is unclear whether Kiernan will continue posting as “TheRealBullit” now that he no longer owns the car. Fortunately, he did answer some of the key questions with what could be his parting post.

Patina Stays, Still No Owner Name

In Kiernan’s post above, the two most important points for most Bullitt Mustang enthusiasts pertain to the future of the car. The “identity of the new owner is not known yet, stating that “everyone will know eventually”. We take this as his way of saying that it is a celebrity who we will all know. It could simply be his way of saying that the new owner will eventually introduce him- or herself. Realistically, with a final price of more than $3.7-million with the various fees, the buyer has to be someone famous.

More importantly, Kiernan stated that the original Bullitt Mustang will not be restored. He went so far as to make it sound like restoration was never a consideration. Some people wondered whether the new owner would return the car to how it looked in the movie. The Mustang GT was not as battered in the movie as it is now, but the owner will keep the car in this condition going forward.

The good news is that this famous 1968 Ford Mustang GT is in proper running order. While it looks rough on the outside, it should be easily displayed at events around the country.

Bullitt Mustang images for MustangForums by Patrick Rall

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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