Bye Bye, Bullitt: Ford Says Production has Ended

By John Coyle - February 8, 2021

Pour one out, as it’s officially the end of the line for one of the coolest Mustang special editions ever.

As any gearhead knows, the car chase in Bullitt was a watershed moment in cinema. The sequence where Steve McQueen uses his Highland Green Fastback to pursue a Dodge Charger through the streets of 1960s San Francisco remains riveting to this day, and ushered in a new era of high-octane action. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie kind of sucks.

Because while the King of Cool might have been a great actor, Detective Bullitt was a lousy cop, who leaves a high-profile witness alone so he can spend time with a lady friend. Spoiler alert: The witness gets murdered, and Bullitt doesn’t even seem terribly bothered by his dereliction of duty. Perhaps he’s comforted by the fact that he gets to use SF’s streets as a personal race track? I’d likely be.

Anyway, while you might disagree — Roger Ebert did — with my take on the movie, we can probably agree that the Bullitt was one of the coolest special edition Mustangs of all time. So I read the news that the last example had left the assembly line with a heavy heart. Because while I knew that the model was being axed to make way for cool offerings like the Mach 1, it’s a different matter to know production has wrapped. Perhaps it stung a bit more because we just learned the writing is on the wall for gas-powered Ponies in general.

Now, the current model wasn’t the first Bullitt-themed Mustang Ford released, as that honor goes to the 2001 model, which had a relatively small 5,500-unit run. If this is the last one, however, it’s safe to say the Bullitt went out on a high note.

I personally love how badass the honeycomb grille looks without the Pony badge, and while I could take or leave the gun-site themed Bullitt badge, the back end looks way better with the spoiler delete. There’s also the gorgeous Highland Green paint, which looks even better in person than it does in photos — which is saying something.

Of course, the beauty wasn’t all skin deep with the Bullitt. Thanks to the intake from the GT350, the 5.0-liter under the hood is good for 20 more ponies than standard GT models, so there’s a healthy 480 horsepower on tap. Other go-fast goodies include Brembo brakes, a stiffer suspension set up, a strut tower brace, and a limited-slip diff.

Thanks to a revised exhaust set up, it also sounds a little meaner than standard GT models, and in a nod to the purists out there, the Bullitt only comes with a six-speed manual transmission, making the white cue ball shifter the cherry on top of this sporty sundae.

Whether there will be another Bullitt edition is anyone’s guess, but from what I’ve seen, these babies tend to hold their value better other Mustangs of the period, and are almost certain to be a hot ticket for future collectors. So if you’ve ever wanted your very own example of this mean, green icon, I wouldn’t waste any time.

Photos: Ford