First Drive - 2008 Mustang Bullitt
Last Updated on Monday, 01 December 2008 19:32 Written by Christopher Ihara Tuesday, 06 November 2007 19:00
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When Warner Brothers released Bullitt in 1968 they created one of the most memorable car chase scenes in cinematic history. Already an American icon by 1968, the Mustang took a co-starring role next to Steve McQueen and was further cemented into automotive legend. In Bullitt the Mustang underwent a minor transformation prior to filming where the crew removed all badging. In 2001 Ford released their first commemorative Bullitt Mustang. Now, exactly 40 years after the movie’s release Ford has again brought the Bullitt Mustang back to life as a limited edition 2008 model. We spent two fantastic days behind the wheel of the Bullitt on the coast of California.
On the twisties the car is an absolute blast to drive! The added torque of the new calibration helps the car launch harder out of the turns. Fire the Bullitt out of the hole from a standstill and the car squats down and plants you into the seat all the way to the 6,500 RPM redline. A chirp from the tires as you bang second gear lets you know the extra horses under the hood are doing their job.
Brake performance was excellent and we did not experience any fade as we shattered the tranquility of the California woods tearing through the back roads. The scream of tortured tires and growl from the tuned exhaust's new low backpresure mufflers terrorized the woodland creatures ensuring that we did not see any wildlife on our run.
On the streets of San Francisco the modified suspension did an excellent job of absorbing road imperfections. To be fair though, we did notice a strange vibration after particularly large bumps, which could indicate that a Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) issue needs to be addressed before final production. This kind of thing is to be expected when driving a pre-production car though.
Usually increasing performance in the turns means a sacrifice to ride quality; however, Team Mustang has managed to find just the right balance with the 2008 Bullitt. Revised brake pads improve stopping distances and provide fade resistance under hard braking. A strut tower brace with the Bullitt logo, VIN, and the car's unique Bullitt build number are printed on the center of the brace. The rear of the car was lowered slightly to provide a more aggressive stance and new struts allowed engineers to add a more aggressive dampening rate for improved cornering abilities.
The car is a faithful reproduction of the look, feel and spirit of Steve McQueen's 1968 co-star. The grille of the car is devoid of any badges or logos and a brushed aluminum trim reproduces the appearance of the original's chrome outline. The Bullitt logo is found on the faux fuel cap on the rear of the car and the instrument cluster sports the classic Bullitt "gun-sight" in the center of the dials. Brushed aluminum accents on the 2008 Bullitt Mustang are found surrounding the instrument cluster, pedals, air vents, shift-boot trim, and on the scuff plates of the doors with “BULLITT” engraved on them. The instrument cluster is also inscribed with a unique font for all lettering and numbering. As with the 2001 Bullitt, a brushed aluminum shift knob completes the interior upgrades.
The 2008 Bullitt Mustang is about more than just appearances - it is able to back up its aggressive look with horsepower and handling improvements. Ford Racing developed a new cold-air intake specifically for the car, which drops incoming air intake temperatures from 70-degrees Fahrenheit above ambient to a mere 17-degrees above ambient. Combined with a new octane-sensing performance engine calibration, the 2008 Bullitt Mustang boasts a bump in horsepower from 300 to 315 BHP and an increase to 325 lb./ft. of torque beyond the stock Mustang GT when the car is fed premium 91 octane fuel. Redline has been increased by an additional 250 RPM to 6,500 RPM. Top speed gets a boost as well to 151 MPH from 147 MPH.
When added to the horsepower improvements the 3.73:1 rear gear dramatically improves throttle response and acceleration rates, dropping 0-60 times by as much as .3 of a second.
The engineers at Team Mustang used a special re-mastered DVD copy of the 1968 classic movie to provide inspiration for the car's sound. By tuning and modifying the H-Pipe they gave the car the authentic sound that will enable you to create your own Bullitt soundtrack wherever you go. The throaty sound is definitely an improvement over the stock Mustang GT.
Perhaps the most controversial alteration is the machined aluminum dash insert. Initially it reminded us of a 1979 Trans Am’s dashboard; however, after a couple of days with it, the panel became more appealing despite our initial reservations.
The new optional HID headlights add a great touch to the car, as well as providing a dramatic improvement in nighttime lighting abilities. The optional ambient lighting package gives the interior a distinctive look, lighting the foot wells and cup holder accent trim with any of several different colors.
With a base MSRP of $31,075 the 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt package is an incredible value. The addition of factory go-fast goodies and a warranty make the car hard to pass up, especially when considering the limited run of just 7,700 units. Collectibility, value, performance and attitude make the 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt a must-have for performance enthusiasts.
Counterpoint From an enthusiast standpoint the 2008 Mustang Bullitt is a pretty decent deal when considering what a Mustang GT would cost, with all the various bolt-ons added to it. The cold-air induction, springs, shocks, strut tower brace, axle-back exhaust, modified H-Pipe, rear gears and engine computer changes would add at least $1,700 to the price of a regular GT, and that’s only if you can install all that stuff yourself. If you have a shop install it you could easily add on another 20 hours of labor, which would run you no less than $1,000. You would also lose some factory warranty for various parts by modifying them. Sales of the Shelby GT are also sure to suffer from the introduction of the Bullitt. Many differences exist between the two cars yet they have virtually identical power numbers. The Shelby is definitely the flashier of the two cars; however, given that the Bullitt has virtually all the same parts under the hood and is about $6,000 cheaper it is fairly appealing. What may not be appealing to some are the looks of the car. The Bullitt looks like a V-6, plain and simple. If you’re a speak softly carry a big stick kind of person this might be right up your alley. On the other hand if you’re looking for some flash then this is probably not the car for you. When compared to a regular Mustang GT, the car is fairly bland, which keeps it true to the original Bullitt, but may not appeal to everyone. Some found that the machined aluminum dash insert was reminiscent of a 1979 Trans-Am dashboard. The wheels are also due for a styling change. The modern interpretation of the Bullitt wheels came about with the 2001 Mustang and ran as the standard Mustang GT wheel until 2004. In 2007 this wheel again returned with slight visual and functional changes to fit the new bodystyle Mustang. So it comes as no surprise that the current Bullitt wheels are a bit long in the tooth. A few things could have been added to the car to improve its status as a limited edition Mustang. Using the Shelby GT500 front fascia with blanked out fog lights and removing the chin spoiler would have brought the front of the car closer to the original. It would have also provided a more aggressive look to indicate that the observer was looking at something unique. The original Bullitt Mustang had a wood grain dashboard, which is difficult to translate into something that would appeal to modern tastes. Instead of the machined dash panel, perhaps an aluminum dash panel painted the same color as the exterior of the car, with the word “BULLITT” left in brushed aluminum over the passenger airbag covers would be slightly less taxing on the eyes. Several questions arise with this car. The first being how many enthusiasts out there will recognize this car for what it is and then plop down over $31,000 for it? Will the Bullitt be able to sell when dealers are ever eager to apply “Adjusted Market Value” extortion fees? With a facelift due in 2009 will the market be willing to put money down, or will they wait for the redesign? |
