The Tantalizing Fate of McQueen’s ‘Bullitt’ Mustang

The internet has been buzzing about what may be a historic discovery. In a post on a vintage Mustang message board, a user in Baja California Sur, Mexico, reported he was potentially in possession of the iconic green Mustang driven by actor Steve McQueen in the classic 1968 film “Bullitt.”

The prospect of this amazing find has generated dual mushroom clouds of heightened excitement and broad skepticism. Yet there were enough compelling details that an expert Mustang verifier was flown in to lend his professional assessment. “I’m 100 percent sure it’s authentic,” Ford expert Kevin Marti told Fox News of the vehicle.

The Mustang is one of the most recognized film vehicles in history.

The car — recovered from a field where it sat rotting in the elements — was going through a complete restoration when the owner submitted the vehicle identification number (VIN) for a Marti report (a Ford registration database). What he received back reportedly had him shaking.

Why is this a big deal for so many?

The Mustang is one of the most recognized cinematic vehicles. It took part in what is widely considered the best car chase in movie history. People remember and cherish McQueen’s Mustang from “Bullitt” as much as they remember and cherish the macho actor himself.

The onscreen chase involved McQueen as Detective Bullitt, pursuing a 1968 Dodge Charger through a city and ultimately onto the highway, where things culminated in a gas station explosion. The thrills come from the in-car camera work and lengthy cuts of the cars dueling on the road. Looking at it anew, it puts many special effects-driven blockbusters today to shame. Almost 50 years have passed and the “Bullitt” car chase remains a staple of the action film genre.

Why, exactly, is this new find thought to be the “Bullitt” Mustang? These days, car-intensive films employ numerous versions of the “star” vehicle — sometimes as many as a dozen, depending on contingencies. In 1968, the Ford Motor Company provided the “Bullitt” production with two Mustang 390 V8 GT Fastback models.

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These were used in slightly different fashions for filming. The primary car was driven by McQueen and used for shots when he was behind the wheel. The secondary was the stuntman-driven car, which was put through harsher conditions and made contact with the Charger during the famed chase. It was damaged beyond drivability.

The primary and remaining car was eventually sold by the studio to a private owner. This individual insisted on privacy and kept the car hidden in storage for all these years. McQueen, in the late 1970s, attempted to buy back the Mustang — but was routinely rebuffed. The car made its way to Mexico through various sales and now is in California with a full restoration underway.

McQueen’s Mustang from “Bullitt” isn’t the only iconic movie vehicle whose whereabouts have captured the attention of the public. Here’s a look at a few other classic cars and their fates after driving offscreen.

“Gone in 60 Seconds” (1974)

Like “Bullitt,” the original “Gone in 60 Seconds” (1974) was a touchstone car film. The plot involves a group of car thieves who steal 50 cars for a job, each with a woman’s code name. A 40-minute chase is involved in an effort to acquire a modified ’73 Sportsroof Mustang named “Eleanore” — and two cars were used as “Eleanore,” one of which was scrapped. The surviving damaged car was taken on the road to promote the film. It is still owned by the filmmaker’s widow.

“Goldfinger”

The James Bond films all have many details viewers can count on — and his cars are one of them. The Aston Martin from the third Bond is an iconic classic. It went for half a million British pounds when it was sold at auction decades ago. However, it was stolen in 1997 from a storage facility in Boca Raton, Florida — and has been gone without a trace ever since.

“The Spy Who Loved Me”

This time, Bond made the world aware of the Lotus Esprit, the iconic white racer that crashed into the ocean and converted to a submarine in true Bond fashion. Bought after production, it had fallen out of public view — but then it was rediscovered at a storage unit auction in New York. It was acquired at auction by Elon Musk of Tesla Auto for just under $1 million.

“Gone in 60 Seconds” (2000)

The remake of “Gone in 60 Seconds” starring Nicolas Cage employed a dozen versions of the new and updated “Eleanore.” This time it was a 1967 Ford Mustang fastback, depicted as a Shelby GT500. After filming, a number of those cars used in the film have been sold. The primary camera car — also used for promotional work — was sold at a Mecum auto auction in 2013 for $1 million.