Restomods At The Movies: Top 10 Badass Modded Cars In TV And Film

June 26, 2018

#3: Bullitt’s 1968 Ford Mustang

Few car films can match the fame of Bullitt. It was an amazing combination of a cool protagonist and equally cool car. The King of Cool, Steve McQueen, portrayed hardbitten cop Lieutenant Frank Bullitt, who was tasked with protecting Johnny Ross, a mob defector put under witness protection. Inevitably, things go bad, and McQueen has to do what he did best: save the day. Around halfway through the film, the car in question, a 1968 Ford Mustang fastback, takes part in one of the most famous car chases in history, pursuing a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T through the streets of San Francisco. I’ll include the chase below, because even if you’ve seen it before, it will still take your breath away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX4zDjlhbbU

The cars (two were used in the filming) were delivered to Warner Bros. by Ford, and modified by Max Balchowsky. In order to survive the chase’s jumps down San Franciscan hills, the cars were fitted with heavy duty springs and shocks. A stronger anti-roll bar was installed, and engine modifications including ported heads and carb upgrades increased the horsepower produced by the 390 V8s. The customization didn’t end there, with the exterior also being heavily modified. The cars had their fog lights, grille badge, Mustang lettering and GT badges removed. Finally, the stock wheels were changed to American Racing Torq Thrusts. One of the cars was crushed, and there was a longstanding mystery as to the location of the other. It was eventually discovered in a Mexican junkyard in March of last year. As the star of the most famous chase in cinema history, this list would not be complete without it.

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