The Bullitt Ford Mustang Steve McQueen Drove Has Sold For $3.74 Million
What you’re looking at here is the most expensive Ford Mustang in history. It might look a fairly humble brute on first glance, but a closer look at the number plate should help you understand why it just went under the hammer for an astonishing $3.74 million (£2.88m) at Mecum Auction’s Kissimmee sale.
Yep, it’s that Mustang Fastback - the Highland Green one Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt, a film which contains one of the greatest car chases of all time. Two were used during production - 558, which had to do all the arduous jumpy, powerslidey stuff, and 559, the hero car reserved for Mr McQueen.
It was sold to a Warner Bros employee in 1968, who sold it on to a police officer in 1970. It changed hands again in 1974, with Robert Kiernan becoming its custodian. It remained with the Kiernan family ever since and was used as a daily driver for a good chunk of its life. It had been thought lost until it resurfaced in time for the reveal of the latest limited-edition Mustang Bullitt.
559 has had some restoration work, although this was mostly limited to getting it running again. Otherwise, it’s original, right down to the camera mounts and the blanking plates where the reverse lights used to be, which were removed at McQueen’s behest.
On occasions the car sold, it did so for only a few thousand dollars each time. In 2020, clearly, it’s a little more sought after.
The buyer hasn’t been identified, although he or she will no doubt be tucking 559 away in storage, probably never to turn a wheel again. But wouldn’t it be nice if they use it as a daily too? You never know.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
The chase scene in the film Bullitt had no music over it because the director wanted the pure sound of the V8s howling away during the chase
Also the moment where Steve McQueen has to hit reverse and case that awesome burnout in reverse was a gaff he made but he stayed in character and it was left in the film….
Also there was one scene where a white car was hit and if you know the scene well the car was damaged and pushed out the way and a split second later the Dodge that had hit it was gone and the car was back in position undamaged probably a repeated frame in the movie or something
Also a friend of mines grandfather bought himself a 1967 Dodge Charger R/T because of that film and still to this day almost 53 years later that car is still on the road and my friend owns it and she still drive it now and its been extremely well cared for too!
I got to see this exact car two years ago at the Detroit Auto Show when they unveiled the new Bullitt, it’s incredible