Ford Motor Company Global Auto Shows

Ford announced the release of a limited-edition Mustang to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the movie Bullitt. Steve McQueen’s iconic nine-minute car chase though the streets of San Francisco defined chase scenes on the big screen. It also cemented the 1968 Ford Mustang GT in film history.

The film is one of many reasons the Mustang holds a unique place in the hearts of consumers. Honoring this fact, the Mustang Bullitt website points out that the limited-edition comes in Dark Highland Green to match the exterior of the original. This distinctive color has appeared on only one other model, the 2001 Bullitt GT. The only other available color is the gloss black finish seen on the cars the hitmen drove in the chase scene. A specially-mastered DVD helped Ford engineers deliver an exhaust note to match the film.

The 2008 Mustang Bullitt incorporates the latest in Ford Racing Technology, as well. Beginning with a base Mustang GT, the car’s engineers tuned its 4.6L V8 up to 315 horsepower. They brought the live rear axle over from the Shelby GT500, which uses a tall 3.73:1 gear that makes the model quicker off the line. The stock GT’s shocks and struts were also swapped out for new units that increase balance and permit more aggressive driving, for those who want to channel their inner Steve McQueen. With a production run of 7,700 vehicles, this limited-edition model will be available in January of 2008.