The Bullitt Mustang once driven by the legendary Steve McQueen has sold at the Mecum auction in Kissimmee Florida for an astonishing $3.4 million! But why is this car so valuable, and what has gotten this 68 Mustang to such high acclaim that it is big news for car enthusiasts around the world? To answer this question we must first dive into the back story of Steve McQueen.

For anyone who has been living under a rock, Steve McQueen was an actor in the 1950’s through 1970’s. He started pursuing acting in the early 50’s and would make extra money by doing motorcycle racing on the weekends at the Long Island City Raceway. Being in mostly small acting roles McQueen decided to leave New York in 1955 and move to California. Steve McQueen made an acting career for himself and was always an avid car and motorcycle enthusiast owning a plethora of different cars and motorcycles. From Ferrari’s to Mini’s, and Cobra’s to Jeep’s, he had such an extensive collection that you can buy full books just highlighting his cars. McQueen wasn’t just an everyday gear head though, he would also go out and race the machines that he worked to get. So in short Steve McQueen was the kind of bad ass that a lot of us wish we could grow up to be.

Now the Mustang has been an American icon ever since it’s debut in 1964. Being credited as the original “pony car” the Mustang has won over the hearts of people world wide for generations with an abundance of different offerings, with various engines and sporting capabilities. This mustang however was a tad different. Being the hero car in the 1968 film Bullitt and driven by Steve McQueen himself it has been the poster car that many young car guys and girls had on their walls. This car was modified for the movie with beefier suspension, a bit more power and had mounting points added for the camera equipment for the movie. The main chase scene with this Mustang and a Dodge Charger raised the standard to what a chase scene would entail for years to come. The scene in question was raw, realistic and had not only wide external shots of the chase but also drivers point of view shots, giving tension and drama throughout the chase.

The Bullitt Mustang was bought for $3500 a few years after filming had ended by Robert Kiernan, who loved and daily drove the car for decades. It’s reported that in 1977 Steve McQueen tried to buy the Mustang from Kiernan but was turned down because Kiernan loved the car too much to let it go. Following Kiernan’s passing in 2014 the Bullitt Mustang went on tour and was shown to the masses. Hype for this car has grown in recent years due to the unveiling of the new “Bullitt” Mustang Ford has released, with the available Highland Green paint which was the classic color for Bullitt.

At the auction the Bullitt Mustang was listed at a starting bid of $3500, a price that it defiantly wouldn’t stay at for long. The price unsurprisingly jumped to one million then two million after that, and a final price of $3.4 million was put on the car when it sold. The starting price of $3500 was set by the owner Sean Kiernan who wanted to pay homage to the past two times the car was sold for $3500. The story of the Bullitt Mustang goes to show what heights a usually unsuspecting car can go to with a rich history behind it to pave its way. I’m sure this won’t be the last that we see of the Bullitt Mustang and to whoever has purchased this car, congratulations on getting a piece of not only cinematic history but automotive history also.