One of the two Mustangs used in Bullitts legendary chase scene was heavily modified by veteran racer Max Balchowsky and never seen again after filming wrapped. The surviving cars stripped-down look and 390-cubic-inch V8 helped create the most famous car chase sequence in film history. Heres what actually went into building it.
This is one of the Coolest American Cars .. isn’t it?
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Steve McQueen didnt just star in the most famous car chase in movie history, he helped create the template every action movie car chase has chased ever since, and this Mustang is built in the image of the car that did it. Two nearly identical cars were used to film that legendary ten-minute sequence through the hills of San Francisco, and only one of them survived the shoot. What happened to the other, and what a veteran race mechanic did to both cars before filming even started, explains why this specific combination of engine, transmission, and stripped-down styling still makes enthusiasts stop and listen. So what was actually done to these cars to make them capable of the chase scene thats still called the best in cinema history?
The Chase Scene That Redefined the Genre
The 1968 film Bullitt starred Steve McQueen driving a Highland Green Mustang GT Fastback through a roughly ten-minute chase against a 1968 Dodge Charger, a sequence widely regarded as the best car chase in cinema history. The film was a box office smash and won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing, and the chase scene alone is credited with setting the standard action films still chase today.
Two Cars, Heavily Modified, Only One Survivor
Two 1968 390-cubic-inch Mustang GT Fastbacks were used during filming, both running four-speed manual transmissions, and veteran racer and technician Max Balchowsky heavily modified their engines, brakes, and suspensions to survive the demands of the chase. Only one of the two cars survived filming; the other was damaged badly enough that it was ultimately deemed not worth repairing and was scrapped.
The Stripped-Down Look Behind the Sound
Both cars had their fog lights, Pony grille badge, Mustang lettering, and GT badges removed for a cleaner look, and rode on American Racing Torq Thrust wheels. In stock trim, the S-code 390 V8 produced 325 horsepower and 427 lb-ft of torque, capable of a roughly 13-second quarter-mile at trap speeds near 105 mph, numbers that explain exactly why that engine note became as iconic as the chase itself.
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