Steve McQueen’s ‘Bullitt’ 1968 Mustang GT sells for $3.74M at Auction

The day has finally come, and the original screen-used 1968 Ford Mustang GT from the film Bullitt has a new owner. That person paid handsomely for the privilege, too, because it sold for a whopping $3.74 million. And yes, that’s the most money ever paid for a Ford Mustang at auction. Not bad for a car that was originally purchased for just $3,500.

For years – decades actually – it was believed the original hero car driven by Steve McQueen in the movie was lost. Then in 2018, the car resurfaced just in time for the film’s 50^th anniversary, for which Ford also launched a new version of the Bullitt. The story of its history since the days of Hollywood is both benign and captivating, having served daily driver duties for the parents of Sean Kiernan, the Mustang’s now-former owner.

• The Most Meaningful Mustang at The SEMA Show 2019

McQueen famously tried to buy the car from the Kiernans on numerous occasions, but each time he was turned down. After accumulating 46,000 miles over the course of several years, it was parked in 1981 and remained there until it was resurrected in 2018. It dropped jaws around the world when its existence came to life, and today it dropped jaws again.

The big question now is what will happen to the original Bullitt with its new owner. The car is famously unrestored, though it’s not exactly as it was when McQueen drove it on-screen. Should it be restored to its original Hollywood glory? Should it stay just the way it is? Let us know your thoughts on this legendary Mustang – and its record-setting price – in the comments below.

via motor1.com