First Look: The Special Edition 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt

Fans of the most iconic car in the world, the Ford Mustang, shared in excitement recently. Ford not only produced its 10,000,000^th Mustang, but it also released the brand-new 2019 Mustang Bullitt. The special edition will pay homage to the 50th anniversary of the iconic movie “Bullitt.” The silver-screen classic is a favorite with Mustang enthusiasts. The movie featured legendary actor Steve McQueen, his Dark Highland Green 1968 Mustang, and the famed 10-plus minute car chase through the streets of San Francisco.

Mustang owners are no stranger to the Bullitt Mustang produced in 2001, 2008, and 2009. Producing 265 and 315 horsepower respectively, the early Bullitts were stylish and plenty quick. Ford clearly went all the way with the 2019 Mustang Bullitt. It was unveiled at a special showing in San Francisco, along with the original 1968 Mustang GT fastback.

VMP was there to get a close-up look at the new Bullitt, along with Sean Kiernan’s 1968 movie hero car. He inherited the vehicle in 2014 from his late father Robert, who had purchased it in 1974. To fulfill his family’s lifelong dream, Sean worked with Ford Motor Company to reveal his McQueen-driven Mustang alongside the new Mustang Bullitt at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

Mustang fans will love the new Bullitt. It comes with an upgraded 5.0 L V8 engine delivering 480 horsepower and 420 lb·ft of torque. The Coyote benefits from a Shelby GT350 intake manifold, cold-air inlet, and revised calibration. Giving Bullitt its signature rumble is Ford’s Active Valve Performance Exhaust system, that’s finished with new black NitroPlate exhaust tips. At VMP, we’re ready to kick up your Bullitt’s horsepower with full-length exhaust headers and midpipe. And imagine doing your best Steve McQueen impersonation with a VMP Performance tune, a few bolt-ons, and a VMP Gen3 supercharger?

“This new Bullitt is my favorite Mustang,” said Darrell Behmer, Mustang chief designer. “With zero stripes, spoilers or badges, it doesn’t need to shout. It’s just cool, like Steve McQueen.”

Like McQueen, Bullitt owners will have to row their own gears. This special edition is only available with a 6-speed manual transmission and features a Torsen differential and 3.73 gears. Upshifts are ultra smooth and when you drop a gear you’ll enjoy Ford’s rev-matching feature, which blips the throttle automatically to match engine and transmission rpm for seamless downshifts.

“When making a Bullitt, there are certain things it absolutely must have,” said Carl Widmann, Mustang chief engineer. “It has to have the right attitude and it has to be unique in some way from a Mustang GT. More than anything, it has to be badass.”

Staying true to the original, exterior paint choices are classic Dark Highland Green—as seen in the movie—or Shadow Black for a more sinister look. Other features that pay tribute to McQueen’s Mustang are the white cue ball shift knob, subtle chrome accents around a unique black honeycomb grille and side windows, and classic “Heritage” 5-spoke 19 inch aluminum wheels. Ford also added red-painted Brembo brake calipers with larger rotors for good measure. Staying true to the theme, there’s minimal badging inside and out; only a circular Bullitt logo emblem on the exterior decklid.

We found that Bullitt combined elements of the Mustang GT Premium and Performance Package. This makes a unique pony that maintains the original Bullitt’s understated persona. The leather-trimmed interior gives you comfort and style, featuring unique green accent stitching on the dashboard, door panels, center console, and seats. Plus, Bullitt gets a very cool “Spindrift” aluminum dash inlay, heated leather steering wheel, and 12-inch all-digital LCD instrument cluster. The dash is identical in function to the optional cluster introduced on the 2018 Mustang, but with a unique Bullitt welcome screen that starts with an image of the car rather than the standard pony.

Mustang Bullitt factory-installed options:

• Bullitt Electronics Package includes navigation, plus memory functionality for driver’s seat, mirrors and ambient lighting, a new B&O PLAY premium sound system by HARMAN, and Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert.
• MagneRide® semi-active suspension system for optimized driving performance.
• Recaro® Ebony Black leather-trimmed seats with green accent stitching.