Auto Trader

In 1968, Steve McQueen skulked behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang and made movie history with the seminal thriller Bullitt.

Vijay Pattni pays homage to this giant of the screen.

The music stops. The Dodge Charger comes to a rest at the intersection. The valiant Ford Mustang is perched behind, waiting to pounce…

The driver of the Charger floors it – smoking up the rear tyres and forcing McQueen’s hand in the Mustang as one of the most influential and memorable car chases in cinematic history kicks off.

The race through the streets of San Francisco in 1968’s Bullitt featured two muscle car heavyweights – mafia hit-men drive a black 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum, while Lieutenant Bullitt (Steve McQueen) in a classic 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback gives chase.

And the Mustang 390 Fastback was certainly up to the challenge – its mammoth 6.4-litre V8 engine chucking out 270bhp.

Considering a Vauxhall Astra VXR can churn out 240bhp today, the figure doesn’t seem too inspiring. But factor in the ‘Stang’s huge torque – 400lbs/ft of pulling power – and you have tyre-shredding power wrapped up in a muscular physique.

Ben Klemenzson, Editor of Classic American magazine, explains the appeal behind US muscle cars.

“I think the appeal of the muscle car is down to its absolute raw power”, he explains. “Modern cars have a host of safety features such as ABS, and of course the muscle cars never did. Most used to run on drum brakes.”

And the Ford Mustang is one of the most widely recognised muscle cars around.

“Bullitt’s car is probably the most recreated muscle car ever”, explains Ben. “Lots of our readers buy the car, ship it over from the states, and then make it look like McQueen’s – starting with the ‘Highland Green’ paintwork.

“A bonus is that it is also the only muscle car that can fit into an English garage – it’s actually smaller than an old Ford Granada.”

Some other classic muscle cars from the movies.

The French Connection (1971)

Often cited among the greatest car chase sequences in film history, Detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle (Gene Hackman) chases an out-of-control elevated train through the streets of Brooklyn in a 1971 Pontiac LeMans – classic Americana packing a monstrous 4-litre V8 engine developing 265bhp.

Vanishing Point (1971)

This road movie tells the story of Jimmy Kowalski who has to deliver a classic Alpine White 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hardtop to San Francisco and is chased by police.

Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

Insurance investigator Maindrian Pace and his gang of professional car thieves must set about their most audacious and challenging steal yet – 48 cars in just three days. The plucky team manage to steal all except one – a prized 1973 Ford Mustang nicknamed ‘Eleanor’.

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Bo ‘Bandit’ Darville (played by Burt Reynolds) has to make an illegal beer run in just 28 hours. The stage is set for a high-speed chase between state police and Bandit’s 1977 Pontiac Trans Am.

The Novmeber issue of Classic American magazine is on sale now priced £3.95.

Auto Trader links

Classic American magazine