By D. Brian Smith
Photography: D. Brian Smith and Others (cited)
Just imagine the great good luck that accompanies stumbling onto/discovering the 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 Bullitt movie stunt car that the King of Cool, actor Steve McQueen drove as San Francisco Police Department Detective Frank Bullitt. There's also a mountain of work that ensues once such a figurative pot of gold is found at the end of the rainbow, in terms of renovating a historically and painstakingly accurate, 100-point ground up restoration.
Video: Interviewing #558's Owner/Restorer - World Class Performance & Restorations
Coming Soon! Stay Tuned!
Bullitt's Hero Car (#559)
Above: The hero Car, #559, was auctioned off at the Mecum Kissimmee, Florida sale, Friday, January 10, 2020 (photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions). The lead photo is of the Bullitt stunt car, #558, at the start of the chase between the Mafia baddies and the King of Cool, Mr. Steve McQueen, aka Frank Bullitt (photo courtesy of Warner Classics).
There was two specially equipped Dark Highland Green '68 Mustang fastbacks for the filming of the flick. One was a beauty or hero car that would be used in the static movie shots and light street driving scenes. There was a camera mount installed for the nose of this Mustang. There was a hole inside the trunk on the driver's side for a smoke machine, as well as other much smaller holes in the trunk for routing electrical wiring. Other camera and lighting mounts were installed in the backseat area of the interior. It had some modifications to the chassis - three evenly spaced square tubed rails that were welded longitudinally to the chassis' subframe, used for mounting movie camera and lighting gear for the gentle driving scenes that the hero car would undertake throughout the film.
Above: Mr. McQueen enjoying a coffee break in one of the two Bullitt Mustangs during filming - these 1968 era 35mm movie film cameras are quite a bit larger than your average GoPro for filming the in car action footage (photo courtesy of legendlines.com)
Bullitt's Stunt Car (#558)
Above: Notice the #558 Bullitt Mustang stunt car is missing its hood trim piece. A NOS (New Old Stock) piece is on order and should be arriving soon for installation (as of this writing). When #558 arrived at the Petersen Auto Museum in early June 2026, she was approximately 95-percent restored. Ralph and the World Class Performance & Restorations' crew were awaiting the delivery of several NOS and original components to complete the Bullitt stunt car in time for its worldwide premiere on June 20, 2026. For example, #558 was sporting a 1967 Mustang rear view mirror. WCP&R has sourced a 1968 windshield 'button' mirror, which will be installed by the time of its public reveal at the Petersen Auto Museum on Saturday, June 20, 2026. Like the other Bullitt, all of the badging and emblems were removed before the film cameras ever rolled and were never replaced (DBS photo).
Above: Up, up, and away in the Bullitt Mustang stunt car (#558)! - photo courtesy of Warner Classics
The other 1968 GT390 Mustang, and protagonist of this feature article had the smoke machine hole, the welded subframe camera/lighting mount rails, a beefed up front and rear suspension, and a Porsche 911 driver side door mirror. The Porsche mirror was requested by Mr. McQueen, a well-known Porsche enthusiast who both raced and owned some street Porsches throughout his auto and motorcycle racing/driving adult life. This particular movie car (#558) was used for all the stunt work for what would come to be recognized as the greatest car chase scene ever filmed.
The King of Cool also requested that a Shelby black rimmed steering wheel and Shelby wood rimmed manual gear shift knob be installed in the two Mustangs' interiors. Swapping in American Racing Torq-Thrust D five-spoke rolling stock was another McQueen specification. The A/R Torq-Thrusts are the same mag wheels that 1965 Shelby GT350R race-specification SCCA wheels utilized for the 36-built and raced R-spec full-on race cars that earned Shelby American Racing and Ford Racing the SCCA B-Production Championship for 1965.
Above: Detective Frank Bullitt's office away from the office - where the real work takes place - Steve McQueen always chases down the Mafia hitmen (DBS photo).
Above: See that notorious smoke hole in the upper lefthand corner of the trunk's driver side inner rear wheel well to accommodate smoke escaping from the machine for the various burnouts in the flick? Both Bullitt Mustangs have this same modification. There are also holes in the trunk's floor pan (in front of the fuel tank) for running the numerous electrical lines that power #558's camera gear and in car generator (DBS photo).
Above: Here's another build photo of #558 showing work in progress of the trunk area (photo courtesy of World Class Performance & Restorations).
Above: Here's one of the 562 street specification 1965 Shelby GT350 Mustangs that is shod with the race specification 15-inch American Racing Torq-Thrust D wheels - photographed at Gordon McCall's Motorworks Revival at the Monterey Jet Center during Monterey Car Week. The two Bullitt movie cars are shod with these same race-spec wheels, but with blacked out spokes, painted by the movie's production crew (DBS photo).
Above: Mafia hitmen duo in the black 1968 Dodge Charger 440 R/T being pursued by the Dark Highland Green 1968 Bullitt Mustang GT390 stunt car (#558) driven by the King of Cool, aka Steve McQueen at speed (photo courtesy of Warner Classics video) -
Video: Bullitt - The Car Chase - Full Scene - Warner Classics
For all the heavy lifting required to accomplish the most famous movie car chase scene ever filmed, number 558, nicknamed the "Jumper" car, was also equipped with a roll bar, fabricated to handle severe, high-speed impacts. Since Bullitt's production crew originally had no idea how violent the San Francisco street jumps would actually be, the safety modifications had to be incredibly stout. Legendary race car builder and driver Max Balchowsky structurally modified the car over a span of five weeks, with specific burly and brawny details including:
- Roll Bar: Unlike the primary "hero" car driven by Steve McQueen for close-up shots (which had no roll bar), the stunt car had a roll bar welded directly into the cockpit to protect stuntmen Bud Ekins and Carey Loftin.
- Chassis Tie-Ins: To support the roll bar and keep the Mustang from physically snapping in half on impact, Balchowsky welded a heavy crossbeam support bar underneath the vehicle and reinforced the inner frame.
- Reinforced Shock Towers: Heavily braced front shock towers and extra-thick anti-roll bars absorbed the massive downforce when the car slammed back onto the tarmac.
- Other Suspension & Engine Modifications: MaxBalchowsky also exchanged the springs for replacements with higher deflection rates and the stock shocks with Koni's (which the Shelby Mustang street and race cars also utilized). All suspension parts were magnafluxed and replaced as necessary. Balchowsky milled the GT390 V8's heads, added an aftermarket high performance ignition system, reworked the Autolite carburetor, and added exhaust headers to better expel the mill's spent fumes.
Above: Though Hugo and Ralph purchased the Bullitt Mustang #558 in October of 2016, the matching number 390 cubic inch V8 engine wasn't purchased until a year later from the same former owner of Bullitt. When the former owner learned that they had sold the actual Bullitt stunt car, they tried to sell the engine for $60,000 to $70,000 to Ralph and Hugo. A year's worth of negotiations later and Ralph and Hugo were able to buy the original, matching number unrebuilt mill for $30,000. Ralph and the World Class team then rebuilt the engine, balanced, and blueprinted the Ford 390 V8. You can also see some of the black diamond grille mesh that Bullitt #558 had in the movie and with the detail photo below (DBS photos).
Above and below: Unlike the hero car, the Bullitt stunt car (#558) had a roll bar. Actor Steve McQueen specified the wood rimmed Shelby manual shifter knob and the leather-wrapped Shelby steering wheel for both Bullitts (photos courtesy of Vicente Diaz).
Above: #558 reinforced front shock tower (photo courtesy of World Class Performance & Restorations)
The structural reinforcements were so rigid that while the car's exterior sheet metal and suspension arms were repeatedly bent and beaten to a pulp during filming, the internal cockpit remained entirely intact. This structural integrity is ultimately what allowed the beaten-up car to survive decades in someone's backyard in Baja, Mexico before being rediscovered in October of 2016.
Above and below: The rusty and crusty driver's side fender apron reveals the #558 VIN code of the Bullitt stunt car, while the driver's side door tag provides the same authentication details. If you own a 1968 Mustang, you too can decode your pony's car VIN and trim tag (VIN/trim tag photos courtesy of World Class Performance & Restorations).
Some five months later, the #558 Bullitt stunt car was authenticated in 2017 by none other than Ford and Lincoln Mercury expert Kevin Marti, with his definitive authentication report known as "The Marti Report."
Above: Kevin Marti in the pilot's seat with Ralph Garcia, Jr., riding shotgun - those door gaps and the bodywork look great. The World Class Performance & Restorations Team know their way around America's first pony car, and the world's most famous movie car (photo courtesy of World Class Performance & Restorations).
Above: When Kevin Marti traveled to Mexicali to authenticate the #558 Bullitt stunt car, Ralph and Hugo celebrated by throwing family and friends a Bullitt party. From left to right are Ralph Garcia, Jr., Kevin Marti, and Hugo Sanchez. & Below: You'll find Ralph, his wife Esmerelda, his son, and Kevin Marti in this shot (photo courtesy of World Class Performance & Restorations).
Above: Bullitt #558 is wearing its guide coat of primer during its arduous bodywork, primer, sanding, and eventual painting process (photo courtesy of World Class Performance & Restorations).
Above: 1968 Bullitt Mustang stunt car, #558 being pulled into a friend Dave's garage (photo courtesy of World Class Performance & Restorations)
Above: As World Class Performance & Restorations' owner Ralph Garcia, Jr., indicated in the video interview, he and his team have painted the #558 Bullitt stunt car five times! WCP&R are perfectionists to be sure (photo courtesy of World Class Performance & Restorations).
The Stunt Drivers for Bullitt
Above: Actor Steve McQueen, aka Frank Bullitt (photo courtesy of Warner Classics video)
The primary stunt drivers for Bullitt were Carey Loftin, Bud Ekins, and Bill Hickman. Each stunt driver performed a specific role in creating the movie's legendary chase scenes. Their roles included:
- Bill Hickman: Drove the black Dodge Charger and played the Chicago mafia hitman.
- Carey Loftin: Acted as the stunt coordinator and doubled for Steve McQueen in the Ford Mustang.
- Bud Ekins: Doubled for McQueen in the Mustang during some jump sequences and rode the motorcycle in the crash scene.
Above: Just imagine - Bud Ekins, Carey Loftin, and none other than The King of Cool himself (Steve McQueen) sat atop this very seat. That hole in the passenger side interior quarter panel is either to accommodate film lighting equipment or a 35mm film camera (photo courtesy of World Class Performance & Restorations).
Above: #558's interior is much more comfortable in its restored condition (DBS photo).
Above: Matt Stone, the author of "Bullitt - The Cars and People Behind Steve McQueen," checks out #558 at the Petersen Auto Museum. Mr. Stone has had an esteemed 30-year-plus career as an automotive journalist, photographer, book author, automotive-event emcee, and broadcaster. Ralph Garcia, Jr., presented Mr. Stone with a plaque at the Bullitt Petersen Museum media event for his research collaboration of the restoration project. The plaque included an original body panel artifact (DBS: Thank you Mr. Stone for writing this informative and entertaining book. It proved most helpful as an authoritative reference source for the writing of this article).
Above: Notice the taillight bezels have been blacked out, as has the fuel filler cap, precisely how #558 appeared in the movie. The backup lights in the rear valance have also been blocked off, another movie customization to prevent reflection during filming with the movie camera and lights (DBS photo).
Above: If you squint hard enough, you can just make out Frank Bullitt mashing the throttle and chasing the baddies. Smoke the tires, McQueen! Don't be shy! Mr. Garcia, Jr., conveyed to me recently that the raised white lettering on the tires was corrected in time for the public premiere, which I confirmed at the public reveal. Before photo of the rear driver's side tire and after photo at the Petersen of the passenger rear tire and A/R Torq-Thrust D wheel on June 20, 2026 (DBS photos).
Above: This is just some of the talented crew of automotive artisans at World Class Performance & Restorations (Ralph, Esmerelda, Jim Warino, and the WCP&R Team, thank you so much for inviting Classic Industries to be part of both the sneak peek media premiere and the worldwide premiere at the Petersen Automotive Museum! The photo below is more of the WCP&R Crew at the worldwide public premiere on June 20, 2026 at the Petersen. Bullitt #558 had her first wash and detail since her 10-year, meticulous restoration (DBS photos).
American Muscle Car Parts at Classic Industries
Above: Parnelli Jones Trans-AM Trophy class - Nick DeVitis piloted his #28 clad 1968 Mustang notchback coupe through the corkscrew (DBS photo & article - Videos: Reliving the Glory of Vintage Racing at Laguna Seca Raceway).
Classic Industries prides itself on having the most comprehensive selection of restoration products in the industry. You can shop by vehicle online. You can also get numerous immense printed parts and accessories catalogs mailed to your home for free. Classic Industries also offers digital parts and accessories catalogs for various GM and Mopar machines, as well as the vaunted Ford Mustang. If you're in need of getting your made famous in TV or movies American muscle machine the parts you need, you know where to find them. If you're in Southern California, you can also stop in the Classic Industries retail showroom in Surf City USA, also known as Huntington Beach!
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Above: You may rest assured that Classic Industries will be seeing what happens next for #558, the 1968 Ford Mustang 'Bullitt' stunt car. We'll be reporting the news for Steve McQueen fans, Mustang mavens, and American muscle car enthusiasts around the globe! That's a wrap - for now, at least (DBS photo).
