• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

Bullitt cars

Share this page

Basil

Basil

Administrator
Staff member
Boss
Online
I was watching Bullitt with Steve McQueen tonight on my iMac and decided to take some screen shots of some of the really cool cars in that movie. Of course there is the Mustang and the Charger, but there are also a lot of cool Jags, Healeys, Porsches, etc that make cameo appearances. See how many cars you can spot and name from these screen captures:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcarforum/sets/72157643501542284/

(some of the shots are blurry due to the cars or cameras moving)
 
And of course, I'm sure we all remember the black 1955 Mercedes-Benz 220 ponton sedan - parked at the top of the hill on the left, facing down slope:

i268407.jpg
 
I know that Healey. It belongs to BCFer Steve Thomton ("Healey Passion") From Steve's website:

"My Austin Healey is reputed to be the actual Healey seen in the Steve McQueen movie, “Bullitt”. For you youngsters, or if you lived in a cave during this period, in the late 60's Steve McQueen was the quintessential cool guy, and Bullitt is credited with originating the car chase genre. There are three times in the movie that this Healey, in its original white color, made the silver screen. The Healey was owned by a local resident, and he was asked to leave it on the street to add some character to the scene... and as they say, the rest is history. In one of the scenes, the front of the Healey can be seen when McQueen (aka, Bullitt) pulled his green Mustang into a parking space near his apartment. The prior owner frame stepped through that scene and said he was able to verify that the black and gold California plates were the same number as those on the car. I have those plates. While provenance is an important ingredient in collector car value, I doubt that under 10 seconds of Bullitt exposure actually adds any real value to the car... just interest value... but you can be the judge."

https://stevesaustinhealey.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=5&Itemid=6
 
kellysguy said:
From what I've been told that was his actual Mustang.
Click to expand...

From the Internet Movie Database Trivia:
Two Mustangs and two Dodge Chargers were used for the famous chase scene. Both Mustangs were owned by the Ford Motor Company and part of a promotional loan agreement with Warner Brothers. The cars were modified for the high-speed chase by veteran auto racer Max Balchowsky. Stunt coordinator Carey Loftin got Bud Ekins to drive the Mustang for the bulk of the stunts. Both of the Dodges were junked after the filming, as was one of the Mustangs. The other less banged-up Mustang was purchased by a WB employee after all production and post-production was completed. The car ended up in New Jersey a few years later, where Steve McQueen attempted to buy it. The owner refused to sell, and the car now sits in a barn and has not been driven in many years.
Click to expand...
 
NutmegCT said:
And of course, I'm sure we all remember the black 1955 Mercedes-Benz 220 ponton sedan - parked at the top of the hill on the left, facing down slope:

i268407.jpg
Click to expand...

And on the other side of the street from that Benz can be seen the front of a light blue Jag (I think it's a Mark II but wouldn't stake my life on it). Then of course there is a Metropolitan coming up the hill next to the black Rolls. In front of the Rolls, parked on the corner is (I think) a Jaguar Mark X sedan. There are three other Mustangs parked along the road on the left and a Firebird coming up the hill. A lot of cool cars in this scene.
 
Apparently there were several rumors about that movie. Supposedly the Charger driver was killed in the gas station scene and the family sued to keep that shot out. Now I find out the guy died in '86.

I also heard Ozzy bit the head offa cow...:welcoming:
 
If you watch the chase scene carefully, you'll see the same cars over and over again, but in different parts of the city. For instance, they pass a green VW Beetle at least three times during the chase.
 
A rumor I have heard is that the reason you see so many of the cars over and over; is that they couldn't get insurance for all the cars, and that some of them on the road are even McQueen's own cars.
 
waltesefalcon said:
A rumor I have heard is that the reason you see so many of the cars over and over; is that they couldn't get insurance for all the cars, and that some of them on the road are even McQueen's own cars.
Click to expand...

I've heard that his 1957 Jaguar XKSS is seen in the film but I could not see it the other night.
 
HealeyRick said:
"In the very first scenes, when the guy is leaving the garage, one might notice just as the credits are running, Steve McQueen's green Jaguar D type parked in the garage." https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062765/trivia
Click to expand...

I've heard that too but I rebooked the garage scenes and don't see the Jag (He owned a 57 XKSS by the way, not a D-Type). I do see one interesting car I can't ID but it doesn't look like a Jag:

bullitt_01.jpg
 
Basil said:
I've heard that too but I rebooked the garage scenes and don't see the Jag (He owned a 57 XKSS by the way, not a D-Type). I do see one interesting car I can't ID but it doesn't look like a Jag:

View attachment 32648
Click to expand...

Identified here as a Bizzarini GT 5300 Strada https://imcdb.org/vehicle_29986-Bizzarrini-GT-5300-Strada-1966.html I'm a real sucker for these Corvette motored Italian beasts. Their styling may be over the top to some, but to me they are just the height of 60s GT cool. here's the background: https://www.bozhdynsky.com/cars/bizzarrini-5300-gt-strada/
 
I'd have to go back and look as I haven't watched it in ages but I think you see either just the nose or tail of the XKSS right at the beginning parked down the street as he pulls in. Least that's what I recall.
 
mikephillips said:
I'd have to go back and look as I haven't watched it in ages but I think you see either just the nose or tail of the XKSS right at the beginning parked down the street as he pulls in. Least that's what I recall.
Click to expand...

I'll look again (I own the movie). The other night when I watched it I was specifically looking for it, but I'll look again.
 
Wow...the car chase in "Robbery" is pretty intense. You can see the similarities in the shooting style between that chase and the one in Bullitt. The dispatcher communication was very authentic as well: Short communications without any melodrama. Also, at about 1:34 in the chase scene, you see the cars pass a Big Healey.
 
SaxMan said:
Wow...the car chase in "Robbery" is pretty intense. You can see the similarities in the shooting style between that chase and the one in Bullitt. The dispatcher communication was very authentic as well: Short communications without any melodrama. Also, at about 1:34 in the chase scene, you see the cars pass a Big Healey.
Click to expand...

According to one commenter on Youtube, the call signs were authentic as well: "Thats fantastic! 'Charlie Delta 2' was the actual callsign for the area car that was based at West End Central police station, and 'Delta 1' was Paddington Greens. The two 'Oscar' motorcycle units belonged to the Traffic division."
 
Back
Top