OG 1968 Ford Mustang Bullitt Shows Up Alongside 2019 Mustang Bullitt; Gets Inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Jan 16, 2018

Iconic movie car is the 21st car to be inducted in the Register

Ford

The 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt turned a lot of heads when it debuted at the North American International Auto Show. Turns out, it wasn’t the only Mustang Bullitt in attendance because it was joined by none other than the same 1968 Ford Mustang 390 Fastback that was used in the Steve McQueen movie of the same name. The ’68 Stang’s presence in Detroit wasn’t just for provenance; it was there to get inducted by the Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) into the National Historic Vehicle Register, becoming the 21st car to get bestowed with the honor.

With the exception of the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 and the 1963 Aston Martin DB5, there isn’t a Hollywood movie car as famous as the 1968 Ford Mustang 390 Fastback that Steve McQueen drove in the movie, Bullitt. As far as rankings go, the ’68 Stang is Hollywood royalty. Its induction as the 21st car in the National Historic Vehicle Register is well-deserved. It joins, among other timeless classics, the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, the 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, and the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro.

Apart from the huge honor, the 1968 Mustang Bullitt is back in the spotlight in part because of the arrival of the all-new 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt. Even Molly McQueen, the granddaughter of Steve McQueen, was in attendance at the Detroit Auto Show to unveil the new model as it sat alongside the OG movie car. That’s how much of a big deal the ’68 Bullitt Mustang is.

All this is music to the ears of Sean Kiernan of Nashville, Tennessee, the man who actually owns the 1968 Mustang Bullitt. His family has actually owned the car since 1974 after finding it up for sale in the October 1974 issue of Road & Track. Around three years after buying it, Kiernan’s father received a call from no less than McQueen himself, who wanted to buy the car. He ended up turning the Hollywood star, setting the stage for his family to continue owning it to this day.

Kiernan’s Mustang Bullitt is the “hero car” that McQueen drove in the movie. His parents actually drove it around 46,000 miles before it ultimately gave out in 1981. Since then, it has served as a memento for a family who understood the provenance behind the car before everyone else did.

Now that the ’68 Mustang Bullitt has been inducted into the National Historic Vehicle Register, its legacy as one of the most iconic Hollywood cars of all time is cemented.

For those who want to know more about the car and its place in automotive history, the HVA will debut a documentary later this year called Little Pieces: The Untold Story of the Bullitt Mustang. The documentary takes us on a deep dive behind the history of the legendary Mustang, complete with interviews with the Kiernan family and people who were involved in the production of the movie. At the very least, that should be a fascinating viewing experience.

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