Este provavelmente foi um dos segredos mais mal guardados do Salão de Detroit deste ano, mas a Ford finalmente tornou oficial. Diga olá para o Mustang Bullitt 2019, retornando após 50 anos desde o icônico modelo guiado por Steve McQueen no filme com o mesmo nome. Baseado no Mustang GT, o novo Bullitt tem a mesma cor verde que os fãs do filme conhecem, sem emblemas no exterior, exatamente como era o original de 1968. Bom, exceto pela falsa tampa do tanque de combustível na traseira.
O novo modelo foi revelado em Detroit por ninguém menos que Molly, a neta de Steve McQueen, que subiu ao palco dirigindo o Bullitt original de 1968 que foi usado por McQueen. A novidade usa o motor 5.0 V8 do Mustang GT, porém com uma preparação para gerar, no mínimo, 475 cv. Outras melhorias incluem novo sistema de admissão de ar e borboletas de 87 milímetros, todas trabalhando com o mesmo coletor de admissão usado no Shelby GT350. Há uma calibração de desempenho para a ECM, só que, como a Ford diz que o novo Bullitt tem "pelo menos" 475 cv, parece que deve passar por mais algumas mudanças antes de chegar às ruas.
O Bullitt também ganhou escapamento ativo com ponteiras pintadas de preto que irão deixar seus vizinhos - e principalmente aqueles caras dirigindo Chevrolet Camaros e Dodge Chargers - saberem que você está por perto. Detalhes cromados bem sutis em volta da grade e dos vidros prestam homenagem ao GT 390 do filme de 1968, assim como as rodas de 19 polegadas em alumínio. Por dentro, o Bullitt mostra um câmbio manual com a clássica manopla design Q-Ball.
São três opcionais de fábrica para o carro, incluindo um pacote chamado Bullitt Electronics, que adiciona navegação por GPS, bancos elétricos com memória, um sistema de som melhorado e equipamentos de segurança. Oferecem também a suspensão semi-ativa MagneRide, assim como bancos de couro preto da Recaro com costuras verdes. E ainda tem um volante especial com o logo Bullitt, para te lembrar que não está em um Mustang qualquer.
Se alguém não quiser a cor clássica verde Dark Highland (herege!), a Ford também oferecerá o novo Bullitt pintado de preto Shadow.
Os rumores sobre o novo Bullitt estavam circulando há um tempo, mas começaram a ganhar força quando um Mustang verde com o emblema de mira na traseira foi flagrado em Chicago. O que confirmou foi o anúncio do leilão de um Mustang "especial" pela Barrett-Jackson no qual o valor arrecadado iria para o Boys Republic, a escola onde McQueen estudou.
A Ford diz que o novo Mustang Bullitt começará a ser vendido em meados deste ano. Pena que a marca não deve trazê-lo ao Brasil.
Fotos ao vivo: Patrick M. Hoey / Motor1.com
Fonte: Ford
Galeria: Ford Mustang Bullitt 2019
A STAR IS REBORN: 50TH ANNIVERSARY FORD MUSTANG BULLITT REVIVES SILVER SCREEN LEGEND WITH NEW LEVELS OF POWER
- New limited-edition Mustang Bullitt features retuned 5.0-liter V8 engine that packs at least 475 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque and tops out at 163 mph
- New version salutes 1968 movie car with effortlessly cool appearance, available classic Dark Highland Green exterior paint and subtle chrome accents; interior highlights include 12-inch all-digital LCD instrument cluster and available RECARO® black leather-trimmed seats with unique green accent stitching
- Original 1968 Mustang GT fastback that starred alongside Steve McQueen in award-winning movie “Bullitt” drives onto Ford stage at North American International Auto Show, ending 40-year mystery about the film car’s whereabouts
DETROIT, Jan. 14, 2018 – Celebrating the 50th anniversary of iconic movie “Bullitt” and its fan-favorite San Francisco car chase, Ford introduces the new cool and powerful 2019 Mustang Bullitt.
Third-generation member of the McQueen family, Molly, starred in a special movie of her own introducing the new third-generation Bullitt at the North American International Auto Show. In the film, Molly races a new Mustang Bullitt through a parking structure battling a Dodge Charger for the final free space.
Helping it win that particular spot was the Bullitt’s upgraded 5.0-liter V8 engine that will deliver at least 475 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, pushing the new Bullitt to a top speed of 163 mph – an 8 mph increase versus the latest Mustang GT.
Special Edition
As a special-edition model due out this summer – the all-new Mustang Bullitt is equipped with a manual transmission, and the gear shifter features a white cue ball shift knob as a nod to the original. The vehicle packages all Mustang GT Premium and Performance Package content into a vehicle that maintains the original Bullitt’s understated persona.
An active valve performance exhaust system is standard with new Black NitroPlate™ exhaust tips, and retuned to give the car a signature burble, as well as new Open Air Induction System and Shelby GT350 intake manifold with 87mm throttle bodies and powertrain control module calibration for optimal performance.
Other standard equipment includes a heated leather steering wheel and a 12-inch all-digital LCD instrument cluster, identical in function to the cluster introduced on 2018 Mustang, but with a unique Bullitt welcome screen that starts in green with an image of the car rather than the pony.
“This new Bullitt is, as Steve McQueen was, effortlessly cool,” said Darrell Behmer, Mustang chief designer. “As a designer, it’s my favorite Mustang – devoid of stripes, spoilers and badges. It doesn’t need to scream about anything – it’s just cool.”
Exterior paint choices are limited to Shadow Black and the classic Dark Highland Green – as worn in the movie. Other features that pay tribute to the car McQueen drove are subtle chrome accents around the grille and front windows, classic torque thrust 19-inch aluminum wheels, red painted Brembo™ brakes, and a unique black front grille. Inside and out, the vehicle uses minimal badging; only the circular faux gas cap Bullitt logo on the rear center is visible on the exterior.
The leather-trimmed interior features unique green accent stitching on the dashboard, door panels, center console and seats.
Aside from the two exterior paint choices, Mustang Bullitt buyers are limited to three factory-installed options:
- Bullitt Electronics Package includes navigation, driver memory seats and mirrors, upgraded sound system and Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert that can alert customers of vehicles detected in difficult-to-see places
- MagneRide® semi-active suspension system optimizes driving performance
- RECARO® black leather-trimmed seats
“When making a Bullitt, there are certain things it absolutely must have,” said Carl Widmann, Mustang chief engineer. “It has to have the right attitude, it has to be unique in some way from a Mustang GT, and more than anything, it has to be bad ass.”
That reputation was born after a Mustang GT fastback played a prominent role in the 1968 movie, and most notably in a chase scene that set new standards in filmmaking. The film’s nearly 10-minute-long sequence followed McQueen chasing down two hitmen in his Mustang through the streets of San Francisco.
The Original
Two identical 1968 Mustang GT fastbacks were used in the filming of the classic Warner Bros. movie “Bullitt” that debuted in theaters on Oct. 17, 1968. After filming, the cars went their separate ways: the hero vehicle driven by McQueen in the movie was sold by Warner Bros. to a private buyer, and the other – used in many of the jumps during the famous chase scene – was sent to a salvage yard. That jumper vehicle resurfaced in Baja, California, in early 2017, but the other was lost to history. Until now.
Sean Kiernan, owner of the hero vehicle, inherited the car in 2014 from his late father, Robert, who had purchased the vehicle in 1974. To fulfill his family’s lifelong dream, Sean contacted Ford and the two parties worked together to reveal his movie star car alongside the all-new 2019 Mustang Bullitt at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
“You know, it was never our intention to keep this car a secret from everybody,” Sean said. “It just kind of happened with life. I’m just completely buzzing to join with Ford and the new Bullitt and show this car to the world on one of the biggest stages there is.”