Bullitt’ Mustang auctioned for US$3.74 million
At last year’s annual auction in Kissimmee, Florida, Mecum Auctions set a new record price for a Mustang sold at auction of US$2.2 million (AU$3.47 million approx.). At this year’s Florida auction event, Mecum comfortably beat that when the 1968 Ford Mustang GT used in the 1968 Steve McQueen movie Bullitt crossed the auction block.
Long Lost Mustang
As has already been widely reported, two Highland Green 1968-model Mustang GTs with the 390 cubic inch V8 engine and 4-speed manual transmission were purchased for use in the film, most notably for the chase in which McQueen’s character, Detective Frank Bullitt, is alternately chased by then chasing would-be assassins in a black 1968 Dodge Charger through the streets of San Francisco.
Widely regarded as one of the best movie car chase scenes of all time, the scene was arguably the highlight of the movie and mythologised the cars used in it.
After filming wrapped, the two Mustangs – one hero car for close ups and one stunt car - were sold, with the hero car going initially to a Warner Bros. employee, then, ironically, a real detective in New Jersey who sold it on to Robert Kiernan, a New Jersey insurance worker, in 1974.
While few people knew or cared of the car’s provenance in the 1970s, McQueen did and made several attempts to buy the car back from Kiernan until his death in 1980, but Kiernan apparently loved the car and respectfully declined each offer.
For the next few years, the Bullitt Mustang was used just like any other car as a – mostly – daily driver and accumulated wear and tear in those years, but when the clutch went in 1980, the car was parked. In several moves by the Kiernan family, the Mustang came with them or stayed with friends, until the family settled in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1995.
Family Affair
In 2001, when Ford released their first Bullitt tribute Mustang, Robert Kiernan and his Sean were inspired to get the car running again, but a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease prevented Robert from doing much. The release of the second Bullitt Mustang tribute in 2008 saw another attempt made to get the car back to running condition, but Robert’s worsening health saw caring for him become Sean’s priority.
On each occasion, the aim had been not to restore the car, but get it back to drivable condition, retaining the patina and legacy of its movie-time use that included welded tabs under the body for mounting cameras, signs of camera gear in the boot, repairs to damage incurred during filming and, after filming, a Warner Bros. studio parking pass affixed to the windscreen.
With Robert’s death in 2014, the car was passed to Sean, who duly completed the work he and his father started, returning the car to running condition in time for it to appear at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2018, where the 1968 car was presented alongside the latest, 50th anniversary Bullitt Mustang tribute.
Prior to the Detroit unveiling, Kiernan was part of a special event at Ford’s Dearborn headquarters when the then still-secret Mustang was shown to Steve McQueen’s granddaughter, Molly, who got to sit in the seat made famous by her grandfather.
Special Sale
After the Detroit unveiling, the collector car community and Mustang fans alike were abuzz with speculation of the Bullitt Mustang’s future. Until then, its location and ownership had been largely a secret, but now, with the car out in the open and even inducted into America’s ‘National Historic Vehicle Registry’, many were expecting it to be sold privately or go to auction.
That speculation was confirmed last August, when Mecum announced the original Bullitt Mustang had been consigned for their 2020 Kissimmee sale.
Confirmation of the sale saw more details emerge, including that the carpeting, front bumper and front valence had been replaced out of necessity doing the mechanical refurbishment, but the rest of the car was as per its 1968 movie appearance, including the door damage sustained during the chase scene and McQueen’s hand-painted rev limiter marks on the tacho.
Exactly what the car would sell for set off the next round of speculation, fuelled by no reserve price given. With the car’s Hollywood connection, unquestioned provenance and mystique built up over decades, a million-dollar figure was assured, with some confidently predicting the car could sell for up to US$7 million.
When it finally went across the auction block on 10 January, the eighth day of Mecum’s 10-day Kissimmee sale, it hammered for US$3.4 million. With buyer’s premium, the new owner (whose identity was unrevealed) paid a stunning US$3.74 million (AU$4.89 million approx.) for what’s arguably the most famous original Mustang in the world.
Other “movie cars” at the same auction failed to come close to the Bulllitt’s price, but included US$852,500 (AU$1.11 million approx.) for one of eleven 1967 ‘Eleanor’ Mustangs built for the 2000 remake of Gone in 60 Seconds and US$484,000 (AU$634,000 approx.) for a 1966 Superformance Ford GT MkII replica, used in the recent film Ford vs Ferrari.
For full results and further details from this auction, go to https://www.mecum.com/
