Ford Mustang Bullitt Roars into Geneva for European Debut

TopSpeed

By Ciprian Florea

Published Mar 6, 2018

Loses power and torque compared to U.S. model

The latest Ford Mustang Bullitt broke cover with a big bang at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show back in January. Far from surprising given that it's one of the most iconic versions of the pony car and that the last Bullitt was sold all the way back in 2009. The fact that it had quite a few cool features over the standard Mustang GT made things even better. Somewhat surprisingly, the new Mustang Bullitt is going to Europe, having just made its official debut on the Old Continent at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. The "Bullitt" movie was never as big in Europe as in the U.S., but I guess that Steve McQueen gained more notoriety over the years on the other side of the pond too.

The first Bullitt to be officially sold in Europe, the latest movie-based car has a number of extra features to brag about and should make European enthusiasts happy. Visually, it borrows many cues from the original Bullitt, including the clean grille with the honeycomb mesh, subtle chrome accents, and the Torque Thrust wheels. Around back, it gets the sporty diffuser from the Premium Package, a circular faux gas cap, and Black NitroPlate exhaust tips. As usual, just two paint options are available: Dark Highland Green and Shadow Black.

Customers will be treated to the same Mustang GT interior but with extra features and a few unique bits. The Premium Package is standard and adds leather upholstery, the bigger display for the infotainment system, ambient lighting, aluminum pedals, satin brush aluminum on the center stack, an upgraded sound system, navigation, adaptive cruise control, and rain-sensing wipers. There's also a standard heated steering wheel, green accent stitching, and a white cue ball shift knob. The optional Bullitt Electronics Package includes driver memory seats and mirrors, and Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert.

Moving over to the juicy bits, the 5.0-liter V-8 gains revised internals, including an active valve performance system, upgraded exhaust, an open-air induction system, new intake manifold from the Shelby GT350, and a recalibrated powertrain control module. The Performance Package adds upgraded springs and a rear sway bar, while the MagneRide suspension is optional. Output? Ford says that the Euro-spec Bullitt will deliver an anticipated 464 PS and 529 Nm of torque, which converts to 458 horsepower 390 pound-feet. That's significantly less than the U.S. model's 475 horsepower and 420 pound-feet, but more than the Euro-spec GT, which cranks out 416 PS (410 horsepower). Torque is actually the same. Needless to say, the output is surprisingly low for this model.

No pricing information yet, but deliveries will begin later this year.