Owner brought this super thick Mustang from the US
Modesty adorns man. “Just mention my first name Marc”, it sounds during our introduction. Okay, but his glitzy possession is anything but modest: a dangerously growling and rare Ford Mustang Bullitt. The moss green paint provides some modesty, because: “My colleague has a red Mustang with a standard 2.3 Ecoboost engine and he is stopped more often than I am with my Bullitt.”
It is no coincidence that Marc (26) opted for a moss green Mustang Bullitt (the Ford brand name is remarkably rare on this muscle car): the Ford Mustang 390GT Fastback, which appears in the 1968 film, was painted in exactly the same dark highland green colour. Bullitt. Starring the über-cool Steve McQueen as he chases a pair of hitmen in a Dodge Charger R/T and treats the moviegoers to a legendary 11-minute car chase through San Francisco. Marc therefore consciously chose the paint color. “Besides, it was this or black. The Bullitt was not available in any other colour,” he explains. What is also striking about the car is the ’empty’ front. We miss the brand logo and a license plate. There is one on the back, but instead of the well-known yellow NL license plate we see an exotic one from Texas. Marc explains: “I work for Defense and lived in the US for a few years. There I wanted to buy a muscle car. I looked at the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Charger, but in the end I settled on a Ford Mustang. It was the most beautiful and the most practical. My first Mustang was a black Ecoboost, so with the blown 2.3 four-cylinder.”
Custom engine and exhaust
As a project for himself, Marc adapted a few things, including the engine and exhaust. “That made it a really fun car and further fueled my passion for the Mustang. However, after a while I felt that a successor could be found.”
Marc didn’t even know the Mustang Bullitt
Configuring on Ford’s website, Marc saw that there was also a Bullitt version of the Mustang. “I didn’t even know that version and I dived into the history. Gradually I found out that the car was based on an iconic movie Mustang and was quite rare. If I do bring a Mustang from the US, then a Bullitt, I thought to myself.”
Bullitt first drove in Texas for six months
That was his dream: with a Mustang back to the Netherlands. Marc ordered it from the same Ford dealer in Texas where he bought his first Mustang. It was the first time he had seen a Bullitt alive. “I enjoyed myself in Texas with my Bullitt for another six months, until I left for our country again.” The green powerhouse was shipped roll-on-roll-off, as it did not fit in a container. Defense took care of the shipment; the Bullitt was taken along as moving goods, which means that Marc does not owe any bpm, which saves quite a lot of money.
It also explains the Texan rear license plate. “It is not mandatory before and because it may take a while before I have Dutch plates, I will continue to drive with that one plate on the back.”
Minor differences between American and European Mustang
The differences between a USA Mustang and an EU Mustang are not great. Most striking are the red rear light units of the American version, where Europeans have to make do with transparent white ones. “That makes this Mustang just that little bit more beautiful in my opinion,” said the proud owner. The differences between a ‘regular’ Mustang and the Bullitt are greater. Marc sums up: “The Mustang can be extensively personalized in terms of motorisation, options and colours, the Bullitt only offers a choice between dark green and black. The regular Mustang can be recognized by the Ford logos and the galloping horse here and there, the Bullitt does not have those emblems, except for the wheels and headlights. Engine and handling do not differ much from the regular Mustang GT, except that the ‘movie Mustang’ offers 480 hp due to, among other things, a modified air intake. Because the engine is atmospheric, it takes a while before it builds up speed. Only from three to four thousand rpm does the car really start to pull. The nose lifts slightly, something that is especially noticeable when the lighting is on.”
During the upshift, the nose drops again, Marc explains, and then rises again when you floor the accelerator. Very nice, but you can also drive it quite quietly. “The car is great for everyday use: both for commuting to work and just for a tour on quiet roads or through the city. When driving quietly you hardly notice that there is a V8 in the front, it looks like an Ecoboost Mustang. It is also due to the different driving modes. The heaviest are ‘sport’ and ‘track’, with the gimmick that the display changes along with it, just like the switching and exhaust system. The so-called Rev-Match system provides a nice dot of intermediate throttle when downshifting.”
Mustang Bullitt in the US even quite normal
There are also differences between driving the Bullitt in the US and in our country, and then in several respects. First of all, the Bullit is a fairly normal and well-known car in the US. Marc: “You sometimes get a compliment there, but here you attract a lot more attention. Obviously mainly from the younger generation, but also from many older people. You can see them thinking: what is going on there? This is also due to the inconspicuous color and the absence of nameplates.”
Marc checks his route in advance
When it comes to driving, there are differences as well. America is big, so you mainly have highways there and the occasional stop sign. Here the roads are narrower and the parking spaces smaller. “Sometimes that is a bit difficult, because the car is big, long and wide,” says Marc. “Really a kind of battleship. Fortunately, it has a reversing camera. I therefore always park backwards as standard, for a better overview. But it would be even better if the Bullitt – due to the long nose – also had a forward-facing camera on board.” Before Marc sets off, he always checks the route to be driven. “Then I know what to expect when driving on tight roads and when I want to park somewhere.”
You can reach a top speed of 263 km/h in fourth gear
No, then you have more space on the circuit. Has Marc ever been there with his Bullitt? “No, and that while the TT circuit is not even that far away. I want to try that anyway, just like trying out the top speed on the German autobahn. That should be 263 km / h. Theoretically it could be even faster, but the car is electronically limited to 263. You can already reach that speed in fourth gear, while it has six. Maybe the tires can’t handle higher speeds, but the engine can. But in any case, this Bullitt offers me everything I wanted in a muscle car.”
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl