BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

3 million 400 thousand. Not bad for a car with a green paint job!

The day has finally come, and the original screen-used 1968 Ford Mustang GT from the film Bullitt has a new owner. That person paid handsomely for the privilege, too, because it sold for a whopping $3.4 million. And yes, that's the most money ever paid for a Ford Mustang at auction.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Bullitt Mustang fetches $3.4 million at auction
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/bullitt-mu...200153669.html
https://external-content.duckduckgo....jpg&f=1&nofb=1

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

I couldn't afford the ticket to go watch.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

You forgot the 18 percent buyers premium. Grand total of $3.74 million.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

I almost got it, but was outbid at the last minute;)

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

got over bid when I was occupied trying to sell my soul!!

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Hi Everyone. That car in that movie was pretty epic. In our minds we've all put ourselves in that seat and slammed it around like McQueen did.

But as it sits now, nobody will use it as a car ever again and they'd be silly to change it to make it any different than it sits. So... Yard Art on an epic scale. But cool yard art.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Any idea what the family paid for the car in 1974? I thought I read Robert Kiernan bought as just a regular used Mustang at that time and his wife drove it to work daily. She was a school teacher. Is that true that Mecum is 18% buyer premium?

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Seems I recall they said $3500.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

I sure can't find the buyers name????

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

All I know is the seller purchased the car in 1974 for $3500 and it was a phone bidder that won the auction.


Sal

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

I wouldn't be surprised if Mecum "adjusts" the buyers and seller fees for vehicles that sell for over a million.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

The car was advertised and sold as "1968 'Bullett' Mustang driven by Steve McQueen" ... for "best offer." Call (201)233-6315

Magazine has been in my collection since its 1974 issue.

The Bullitt Mustang was shown at the Amelia Island Concours in 2018. As part of the Tow Crew which pushes, pulls, drives, jump-starts, fuels some of the most exotic cars ... I completely failed to get Sean Kiernan to let me drive it ...

... it was part of the Hagerty exhibit. Hagerty obviously insured the car, kept one eye on it ... and the other on me.

The Mustang was never "lost" but simply remained in storage for years.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Jay Leno got to drive the Mustang with the owner on one of his "Jay Leno's Garage" segments this past year. I still try to catch the chase segment whenever I spot the movie on TV. It always amazes me when they keep on and keep on shifting to a higher gear, almost like the car has an eight or ten-speed transmission. I guess I'm too critical of the technical directors. DD

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Wannabees think that every time you shift you're going to go even faster. Didn't that car have a 13 speed road ranger tranny? lol

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Bob Kiernan bought the car back in 1974 for just $3,500 from Road & Track magazine after seeing an ad for the car. Bob's son, Sean Kiernan, acquired the car in 2014 after his father's passing. He decided to bring the Mustang out of hiding and bring it to the 2018 Detroit Auto Show when Ford was debuting their latest version of the Bullitt Mustang.

The car has a letter from Warner Bros that certifies it as the exact car featured in the film. Before the Kiernan family purchased the car, it was owned by Frank Marranca, a New Jersey detective, in 1970. With the car is a letter from Steve McQueen to Robert Kiernan trying to purchase the car but to no avail. Unfortunately, Steve McQueen passed in 1980.
Frank Marraca also paid $3500 when he purchased the car.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

This reminds me of that old wise saying: "A fool and his money are soon parted"!

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

I am going to guess that Steve McQueens son bought the car???

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

And the long term Federal Capital Gains taxes are????? and then the State taxes are???? It doesn't pay to even win money. Newc

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

This car has so much provenance it is not funny. More has been written about this car than any other, partly because no one knew where it was. Remember in 1974 this was at best a 1000 dollar car. Between the chase scene, which was rated as one of the best and the king of cool factor this price is about right.
The guy could recoup some of his losses/expenses by using it as a promotional item at car shows and other events where people would pay to see the car.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

There was more than one car

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Incredible story. Really neat car and history. I love the one seen where McQueen is going in reverse and the tire is hopping and smoking. I'm sure that car got a work out during the filming.

Hope the new owner continues to show off the car.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

You mean THIS one, of course....! DD


https://78.media.tumblr.com/b9128a30...lo3_r1_400.gif

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

It was at the Somerset KY cruise this past summer with the owner signing posters and Mecum handing out literature. Neat car with nothing changed, still had the mounts for cameras welded on the rocker panels and dents in the roof! That was a lot of money to give in 1974 for a used 1968 Mustang.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

I have no specific knowledge about this particular film, but this is generally the case. One of the reasons Dodge Chargers are hard to find is "The Dukes of Hazard"; they went through dozens of them. I don't see how one car could have survived everything that happened in that extended scene. Perhaps the others were destroyed and subsequently scrapped?

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

You know they had a smoke machine in the trunk pointed at the tire from a hole in the wheel well.
But still a really cool scene, especially for a young kid (me), watching that movie.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

I have read more than once that there were two cars involved. A shell of the second one was found in Mexico some time back and I believe a restoration of sorts was undertaken. Notice that the car in the video above and in one of the pictures below does NOT have an antenna on the right fender. This must be the car that ended-up as the hulk in Mexico. The second car (and seemingly the one being portrayed around the country) must be the one sold at auction....NOT the one with the smoky, hopping axle in the scene above. DD


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/...6843519923.jpg


https://silodrome.com/wp-content/upl...ck-740x416.jpg


In fact, here are both cars in movie shots, one WITH antenna and one WITHOUT antenna, but BOTH wearing the infamous "JJZ 109" license plates used in the movie.


https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/10...g?v=1501005424


https://i1.wp.com/www.curbsideclassi...llitt-_011.jpg

And here's the second one (later found to be green under the white) as discovered in Mexico in 2017.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/ibimg/hgm/96..._100662920.jpg


…..

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

there is pretty much always a double when filming movies. there are two many people on the set being paid to just stop production if the car wont start or what ever the case. money saved in the long run by have the double ready to go

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

For some reason I want to guess again that the car will disappear for say about 25 years?

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Hi Everyone. The body roll and tire to arch gap in this photo say it all! Looks a little jacked up and turning left to me. Remember this is from the chase/camera car who's tucked in rather smartly.

Edited to add: Not sure this is what they mean by turn left to go right?!?

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...2&d=1578790403

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Generally, I'm not a Mustang fan but this is one hell of a hot, beautiful car.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

I had a 67 GT, loved that car!

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My Mom had a 67 mustang when I was in high school, I loved to borrow it! I was a little hard on it though, snapped a motor mount on a hard take off from a stop sign once.

Mom, I don’t know what happened? I’m sure she suspected something, but she was understanding.

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

https://youtu.be/Y1kzTyqcN9U
Here a link to the auction, lots of people there, If I knew the bidding started at $3500. I would have bid $3599. :)

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

A couple Mecum links with info on the car:

https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0120-39...ng-gt-bullitt/

https://bullitt.mecum.com/

I saw the movie when it was in theaters. I happened to get in just as the chase was starting - course I had to stay and watch it again after the rest of the film. :D

Blue Bloods season 6/episode 7 included an investigation of the supposed theft of the Bullitt Mustang. At the end of the show, all the Reagan boys got admitted to the top-secret storage location to drool over the car - it was in a lot better shape than the real one. :rolleyes:

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Re: BULLETT Mustang sold today at Mecum auction for:
 

Guitarist from Cheap Trick, Rick Nelson was bidding on it, towards the end of the broadcast, when he bought two rare guitars, announcers mention he bought the Bullitt car, but I’m not 100% sure...