Think of a famous car from a movie and there's a good chance that the '68 Ford Mustang GTO Fastback from Bullitt is somewhere near the top of the list.
The green paint, the wheels, the functional yet elegant leather interior, it all speaks to that understated cool that Steve McQueen had in spades and is why the car itself has become just as iconic. One of two Mustangs were used in the film - one of which was discovered last year in a Mexican junkyard - and the other was unveiled this weekend at a special event which saw the car added to the Historic Vehicle Association's roster - one of only 21 cars to be added.
In a longread piece by Vanity Fair, the history of the car is revealed as having lived something of an obscure, unassuming existence. The car changed hands a couple of times in the '70s before it was bought by an insurance executive in New Jersey who, the piece describes, was offered a considerable sum by Steve McQueen to buy the car back.
The owner of the car, Robert Kiernan, kept its history a secret to keep off gawkers and the like and stored the car for a number of years after the clutch went out. The car, along with the new Ford Mustang '19, was unveiled by the owner's son and Molly McQueen, Steve's granddaughter, at a Ford promotional event over the weekend.
Here's the full video.
Via YouTube
