When I last wrote about this 2001 Ford Mustang Bullitt (COAL here), I closed out that post with the following comment:
“It’s still in the family, and probably will be for a long time. If my brother ever decides to sell, I think I’ll probably snatch that one back up and keep it.”
Last July my husband and I flew to Louisiana to attend my brother’s wedding. While we were there for the visit; beer was flowing, discussions were had, a figure was agreed to and hands were shook. The Bullitt has returned home and I’ve made good on that promise from a few years ago.
Arrival in San Diego, 3 years after saying I told CC I would buy it back.
The Bullitt Mustang was a limited production car for the 2001 model year. (Bullitt edition Mustangs have been created for each generation since, but this one was the first. The S197 generation saw a Bullitt in 2008 and 2009. The current S500 generation Bullitt is available in 2019 and 2020.) It was based upon the GT Premium coupe and was an homage to the 1968 Mustang GT driven by Lt. Frank Bullitt in the movie “Bullitt”. Changes to the GT to create the Bullitt include different aluminum intake and twin bore throttle body (HP bumped from 260 to 265), larger dual exhaust, lowered suspension, Cobra brakes, new 17″ “Bullitt” wheels, 3.73 rear gear, side scoop deletes, different rocker panels, restyled quarter windows and trim, no spoiler, Cobra bucket seats trimmed with a retro leather pattern, and retro font gauges. Three colors were available; Dark Highland Green (exclusive to the Bullitt), Black, and True Blue.
As delivered, after a much needed bath.
When it came time for us to sell the Bullitt, we ended up selling it to my dad. He flew out and drove it back to Albuquerque, NM. There it was pushed into service as his daily driver. Pop really loved having the Bullitt just as much as we did. Only a couple of notable things happened to the Bullitt while he owned it. On his way home from work one day, he saw smoke coming from under the hood of the car. He quickly pulled over and popped the hood, to find that the alternator had caught fire!! He was able to quickly put it out without any damage other than paint on the hood had started to bubble a little bit. A couple of years later, he was rear ended by a gal who was more concerned with responding to a text message than to paying attention to the road. The damage was minor, but extensive enough that the rear half of the car was repainted. This included the replacement bumper cover, trunk lid and rear fenders.
Battle scars as delivered.
After about 6 years, my dad retired from the Air Force and decided it was time to buy his dream car. In came a 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT392 and out went the Bullitt. This time it was my younger brother’s turn to own the Bullitt. He flew out to my parents and drove the car to his home in Louisiana. He split time between the Bullitt and his truck. While in Louisiana, a few more mishaps happened to it. Cosmetically, my brother’s wife (now ex-wife) backed her car into the left front fender and damaged it. It was straightened out pretty good, but just repainted with some rattle can gloss black. On the other side of the car, a piece of debris hit the side which tore off the right side scoop delete and scraped the rear wheel well. Not too long ago, while the car was sitting in the driveway, high winds knocked over a basket ball hoop that landed directly on the hood and scratched the hood scoop and the hood.
Interior out for a good deep clean.
On the mechanical side, one of the head gaskets failed. The car was parked for a little while until my dad came out for a visit and helped my brother repair it. A couple of years after that, the car developed a weird miss. Once the car was warmed up, it would start sputtering and missing starting in 3rd gear above about 2500 rpm. Again the car sat for a little bit. Finally it was taken to a shop to diagnose and repair. The diagnosis was that the “cats were clogged”, so the repair was to gut the catalytic converters and should be good (Louisiana isn’t as strict on emissions laws as other states). That cured it for a little while, but then it returned. At that point, my brother gave up for a while and parked the car again. He would start it every weekend or so, drive it around the block to keep things lubricated, but it hadn’t really been actively driven in about a year.
Engine bearing the scars of fire and the fire extinguisher.
I had been itching for a new project car, something that I could fix up and restore. I also wanted to return back to autocross racing. I really enjoyed that with my Magnum SRT8. However, the Magnum is my daily driver and it’s a little too fat to be hustling around tighter autocross courses. When we went to Louisiana for my brother’s wedding last July, we got to see the Bullitt sitting in his driveway. He mentioned that he was thinking about getting rid of it so he could focus on his new family and not worry about it. The gears in my head started turning. The Bullitt was the perfect candidate for what I wanted to do. It’s a car we know almost the full history on. It would be fun to restore the Bullitt as well as take it to on the autocross track. The deal was done and we arranged for the car to be shipped to us. It arrived in San Diego October of 2019, almost 3 years to the day after posting my COAL about buying it back if the opportunity arose.
Junkyard headlights look way better than the aftermarket ones that were on it.
I’ve done a just a few minor things since the car has arrived. I replaced the aftermarket headlights with some stock units from the junkyard, after a good polish. I’ve replaced a broken wheel stud. The interior was pulled out and got a deep cleaning. The failed trunk struts were replaced. The plans are to get the car drive-able and registered. I am unable to register it in California right now without passing a smog check. Right now, I can’t pass a smog check until the gutted catalytic converters are replaced. I’ve already sourced a 50-state legal replacement catalytic X-pipe, the only one available on the aftermarket. Once it’s on the road, I will then go after and fix the miss, refresh the suspension, new clutch, and some 18″ wheels and tires.
Rendering I commissioned for the final look.
Once things are mechanically sorted out, it will be time to hit the autocross. While doing autocross, I will also start on the cosmetic restoration. I want to install ’03/’04 Cobra bumpers front and rear, recover the seats inside, and a full repaint in Dark Highland Green. The mods are subtle, and will not take away from the Bullitt aspect of the car. Things have been slow going since it’s been back, especially with the impacts from the coronavirus lockdowns. Time to get restoring. If you want to follow along, feel free to follow my Instagram page specifically for the Bullitt @bullitt_0265.
That had to hurt seeing just how sad it looked. However based on your other vehicles I know that you will eventually get it back in shape.
Look forward to seeing it in all it’s glory once again. The replacement of the aftermarket headlights was definitely a good early step. I let out an internal noooooo when you said you were going to move to 18″ wheels, but quite relived to see the rendering included the Bullitt wheels, just the 18″ version. Bullitt wheels are one of my all time favorites and my Crown Vics have probably spent more time riding on a set of Bullitts than the other wheels I’ve had on them over the years.
I just love the look of the 18s and how they fill the wheel well up a little better. Combined with the slightly lowered look of the Bullitt (compared to a stock GT), it is the best stance of a New Edge Mustang. I will definitely be keeping with the Bullitt style wheels, I love those for the Bullitt. They may be “cliche” for this generation of Mustang, but they are sooooo right for the Bullitt.
I am a former Camaro and current Corvette owner, but I am love this generation of Mustang, and this green color. Ford did right by making the adds on this special edition interesting and unique but subtle. Glad it’s staying in the family.
With the wrong trim, color, wheels etc this gen Mustang is my least favorite, except maybe the Mustang II. But in this form, the proportions of the shape come through well. Nice! By the way, I haven’t autocrossed for 40 years, but compared to my Volvo 122S, Vega, Fiesta and Civic, my Firebird felt massive between the cones. I guess I didn’t have something like your Magnum to compare it to. But the best autocrosser I tried, in more ways than one, was a friend’s Lotus 61 Formula Ford. It’s a whole ‘nother thing when you can see your tires.
The inevitable minor mishaps (both cosmetic and mechanical) are actually quite in keeping with the workaday ethos of the original movie car. In fact, it’s been reported that McQueen, himself, requested the car be dirtied up a bit, including having a small dent put into one of the front fenders (although I have a difficult time spotting it in the movie).
This is my favorite Bullitt. The changes were so much more thorough and substantive than the 08 and the most recent version, and they nailed the modern torque thrust look to the wheels(they actually look better than the American Racing versions in this size to my eye) Curious, how was the headgasket diagnosed as such? Blown headgaskets are a very uncommon occurrence on 4.6s, did it overheat at some point?
IMO I never understood the attraction to the 03 Cobra front bumper, the standard GT one with the Mach 1 chin spoiler always looked better to me, and of the two the 99-01 Cobra one looked more fitting to the body. The Front overhang looks massive with the 03-04 ones. The 03 rear bumper though, perfection. The design was actually originally intended for the bullitt (seen on the concept) and recycled for the Cobra.
The Mach 1 chin spoiler does wonders for the regular Mustang bumper. The way the lower edge rises towards the middle never looked quite right to me. I know why Ford did that, to prevent the front bumper cover from dragging on driveways and such. The 99-01 Cobra bumper, while more aggressive, seems to amplify this little styling issue.
I’ve always liked the 03/04 Cobra front. To me it’s cleaner. It’s funny you mention the original ’00 Bullitt concept, the front bumper is somewhat of a blend of the stock ’01 bumper and what would be the 03/04 Cobra bumper.
And I am definitely a fan of the 03/04 rear bumper. This is what my first Mustang (01 GT convertible) looked like when I sold it.
Very cool that you got the car back. Looks like it needs some love after years of being a daily driver. I am considering selling my 2000 Mustang GT to a family member now. I’ve had it for 13 years as a summer weekend car, and I am conflicted about letting it go to get a Corvette. At least if it stays in the family I can always visit it.
I also like the Bullitt wheels. I put some on my Mustang a few years back.
Nice image at the top. You could teach the strobist guy a thing or two.
I actually got started with off-camera lighting by running across the strobist website. I learned a lot from that site. 🙂
These are nice, sturdy cars; it’ll look and drive great when you finish your work.
Good story Brian
I have an 2001 GT.
Great to see this Bullitt comeback.
Keep us posted.
Sweet!