Lost “Bullitt” Ford Mustang allegedly found in Mexico

Published March 02, two thousand seventeen

One of the most legendary cars in Hollywood history may have been found after almost fifty years.

The one thousand nine hundred sixty eight classic “Bullitt” had two starlets in it: Steve McQueen and his Highland Green one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Mustang GT. A more iconic on-screen duo there never was. for car paramours, at least.

However, there were actually two Mustangs used during filming: one kept neat and neat and another that did most of the dirty work during the movie’s groundbreaking pursue scene. The coddled starlet car was preserved and sold three times over the years and is very privately possessed today, while the stunt car was hammered up so badly by the end of production that it was sent to the wrecking yard.

At least that’s what most people thought happened to it, but a member of the Vintage Mustang Forum claims the car recently surfaced in Mexico. Its exact location undisclosed.

Fede Garza posted photos of a Mustang that, in an ironic twist, was about to be converted into a replica of the “Eleanor” Mustang from the film “Gone in sixty Seconds” at his friend’s restoration shop. But when the possessor of both the car and the business researched the vehicle identification number (VIN), he learned that he might have something special on his mitts, which were jiggling when he brought Garza the news.

If authentic, the number is a match with the missing movie car. The vehicle also features other telltale features that it could be the real deal, including reinforced shock towers, a custom-built 9-inch rear axle, and crevices in the trunk that are presumably there to accommodate a generator used to run the in-car camera lights. Garza says the Mustang had been rotting away in Baja California Sur for twenty or thirty years, its history heretofore unknown.

Kevin Marti of Marti Auto Works in El Mirage, Ariz., is one of the world’s top experts on classic Fords and wields the sensational license to the production records of every car the company built from one thousand nine hundred sixty seven to 2012. It was a report from his company that tipped off the possessor to the possible treasure he had, and Marti tells Fox News that he’s heading to northern Mexico on Friday to validate the car’s provenance in person. Albeit he’s only seen photos so far, he says he’s very optimistic that it’s legit.

If Marti gives it his seal of approval, Garza says the plan is to display the car at a local Ford dealership and then send it north of the border for a decent restoration. The timing couldn’t be better. Next year is the fifty th anniversary of “Bullitt”, and a latest Ford promotional movie staring Dwayne Johnson suggests that the automaker is working on a special edition of the current Mustang to mark the occasion.

Automotive journalist Brad Bowling is one of the few people who knew the identity of the third buyer of the other Mustang, but says he passed away a few years ago. He always kept the car hidden away and once told Bowling that he’d only demonstrate it publically if Ford built an official Mustang museum, but his heirs have been silent on the subject since his death, so that mystery resumes.

But if all goes well, and it doesn’t turn out to be some elaborate hoax, the Mexican Mustang could be all stationary up and ready for its close up just in time to feast next year. Just don’t expect to see it pursuing that black Dodge Charger through the streets of San Francisco. The filmmakers may have considered the Mustang to be disposable, but it’s worth far too much today to end up in that ditch again.

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