Steve McQueen’s long-lost ‘Bullitt’ Ford Mustang sold at auction

Bullitt Mustang

Steve McQueen’s green Mustang from the movie “Bullitt” has been found and auctioned for a princely sum. Fitting, as its cool factor is through the roof. It’s San Francisco chase scene is the industry standard, often copied but never outdone.

…for $3.4 million

By Gary Gastelu

He let the Bullitt go with a bang.

The iconic green Ford Mustang from the 1968 Steve McQueen thriller “Bullitt” was sold for $3.4 million at the Mecum Auctions event in Kissimmee, Fla., Friday. It was the latest chapter in the long-lost car’s story, which may be even better than the movie.

The custom 1968 Mustang GT 390 is one of two — a dedicated stunt/camera car and this one that McQueen drove for his close-ups — that were used during the making of the film, known for its legendary chase sequence through the streets of San Francisco. The damaged stunt car was reportedly sent to the crusher after production wrapped, while the hero car ended up in a Road & Track classified ad in 1974 and was bought for $3,500 by a New Jersey man named Robert Kiernan for him and his wife to use as a daily driver.

Three years later, Kiernan got a letter from McQueen asking to buy it back. The Kiernans told him thanks, but no thanks, and drove the car regularly until 1980 when the clutch went out with 65,000 miles on the odometer. It was then parked in the couple’s garage. Robert planned to get it fixed one day but never did. The Kiernans and their two children, Kelly and Sean, eventually moved to Tennessee and brought the Mustang with them, but eventually put it in storage, where it deteriorated over many years.

With the growth of the Internet came speculation over the fate of the “Bullitt” Mustang. As the Kiernans learned about the interest in the car, they realized they had something special, but they weren’t ready for the the attention it would bring them. So they kept it hidden and a secret from nearly everyone.

Sean said they often talked about restoring the car and going public, but before they had the chance, Robert came down with Parkinson’s and died in 2014. Then, as the 50th anniversary of the film approached, Sean decided it was finally time to share the car with the world. He reached out to Ford, who helped him get it running. The car made its return at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, where it was used to help unveil the “Bullitt” tribute edition of the new Mustang.

At the time, Sean said he wouldn’t let the car go for any amount. But after taking some time off from work to travel the world with it to automotive events, he concluded that selling it could be a game-changer for his family and chose to bring it to Mecum, where he drove it onto the auction block with Kelly beside him as the bidding opened at a ceremonial $3,500.

Jay Leno must be cussing up a storm. Read the rest of the article here: Fox News

Trivia- In the movie The Great Escape, the producers weren’t about to allow the star to perform his own stunts during the Alps motorcycle chase, even though he was perfectly capable. So a double did the exciting jumps over barbed wire. Not to be denied, McQueen was however riding in the pack of Germans pursuing on their own bikes. So actually, McQueen was chasing “himself” in the scene.

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