Loading The Bullitt
by CP Staff
We had the opportunity last week to spend a few days with a Bullitt special edition Mustang. This is the second tribute version that Ford has released - the first being in 2001.
The timing, of course, coincides somewhat with the 40th anniversary of the movie, which was released in October, 1968.
We have already run plenty of coverage on this car, so the manufacturer's side of it all has been more than well represented. The Bullitt Mustang is a limited-edition version, of which no more than 7700 units are to be built.
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At first brush, the Bullitt Mustang presents itself as a competent and subtle transporter. There is, without a doubt, an immediate affiliation with its "less is more" presentation. Let the Eleanor poseurs have their way with the uninitiated. This is a piece of history on wheels. If you cannot appreciate it, that is your loss.
After a while, though, creeping doubts begin to surface. We recall Mustang chief engineer, Paul Randle, saying that they were at the limit of tradeoffs they could make between further handling improvements and NVH. Yet, this car remains as smooth as a Shelby GT500 - easily something that you could drive across the country without a second thought. We are left wondering, mightily, if the envelope couldn't have been pushed more than a little further.
A lot of PR was made about the car's exhaust note and the analysis invested to get it to represent the original. From inside the cabin of our tester, one had to listen carefully, even to pick out the siren's song under any throttle condition.
The car's interior is a nice place to be when driving. The seats are a direct lift from the GT500 and a significant improvement ove the originals. Even the engine turned' dashboard pattern is a pleasant surprise - leaving a far more subtle impression than might have first been assumed.
The Bullitt Mustang is enhanced with a brace of Ford Racing's performance packs, but their cumulative impact seems less than the sum of their parts. Pwer enhancement is marginal, at best, yet having more than 300 HP at your command is an awe-inspiring experience nonetheless.
In the end, you have a plush, comfortable, heritage-driven automobile that most others cannot approach or even match. Therein is an enormous amount of fun-by-association that is the fodder of many an enthusiast's dream. Regretfully, this is most certainly not a love-it-or-hate-it car and therein lies a fundamental mistake that Team Mustang, or Team Bullitt, is responsible for.
For the premium demanded, this is not enough of a special edition at all. It is more than stripes and scoops, but fairly not enough for the extra dollars demanded - at least not where it counts.
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