Market Intelligence
Stellar Values
The Bullitt Ford Mustang, driven by Steve McQueen in the iconic car chase scene, was sold for $3.74 million at Mecum's auction in Kissimmee, Florida. The car, which remained hidden for many years, was sold by a Warner Bros. employee to its current owner for $6,000 in 1974. It was offered at the auction fully documented and without reserve, and attracted a lot of attention from buyers and enthusiasts. Other movie cars were also offered, including Christine's Fury from the 1983 horror film, a 1967 Shelby GT500 from "Gone in 60 Seconds," and a Shelby Cobra from "Le Mans '66," all of which sold for high prices due to their movie history.
The Bullitt Ford Mustang certainly didn’t go unnoticed. You’d had to be deaf and blind not to know that one of the holy grails of big screen motoring was going under the hammer at Mecum’s auction in Kissimmee.
The plot of the film is well known but it is the car chase between the Mustang (driven by Steve McQueen) and a Dodge Charger R/T that has entered the history of cinema as one of the most famous chases – if not the most famous chase – ever.
The car itself was a very normal 1968 Grey Mustang GT390 S-Code dark green (Highland Green) with virtually zero modifications to the standard model. After co-starring in the film, it was sold to a Warner Bros. employee who, in October 1974, sold it to its current owner for a reported $6,000. The car remained hidden from the eyes of experts (so much so that it was believed to have been destroyed) until recently when, in January 2018, it returned to the spotlight during the presentation of the new Mustang Bullitt at the Detroit Motor Show. At the auction it was totally preserved and, of course, fully documented, but perhaps more importantly, it was offered without reserve.
