Ford Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in 'Bullitt' sells for $3.4 million

[rooster59]

Ford Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in 'Bullitt' sells for $3.4 million

By Daniel Trotta

 

One of the most famed cars from American cinema, the 1968 Ford Mustang, used in the car chase scene in the Steve McQueen's movie "Bullitt" is presented at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. January 14, 2018. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

 

(Reuters) - The 1968 Ford Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the classic car chase from the movie "Bullitt, one of the most famed cars from American cinema, sold for $3.4 million (£2.60 million) at auction in Florida on Friday, Mecum Auctions said.

 

It was the highest price ever paid for a Ford Mustang at auction, according to David Morton, marketing manager for the auction house in Kissimmee, near Orlando. The buyer has not been publicly identified.

 

"The hammer dropped at $3.4 million, but with buyers' fees, the total cost is $3.74 million," he said, adding it shattered the auction house's previous record set last year of $2.2 million.

 

The unrestored muscle car, its "highland green" paint looking rusty and black upholstery splitting apart, starred in a 10-minute sequence in the 1968 film, getting airborne a few times as it sped through the hilly streets of San Francisco.

 

The car was auctioned without a reserve, or minimum sale price, a risky decision that could have forced the owners to sell low.

 

McQueen filmed with the window down so viewers could see he was behind the wheel. Although credited as the driver, McQueen actually shared the wheel with Hollywood stunt driver Bud Ekins, according to the movie database IMDB.

 

Many movie buffs view the chase as ground-breaking for its duration and white-knuckle drama. The sequence forgoes a score in favour of roaring engines and screeching tires. McQueen, playing the no-nonsense police Lieutenant Frank Bullitt, was chasing bad guys who drove a black 1968 Dodge Charger.

 

After filming, the Mustang was sold to a Warner Brothers employee, and later to a New Jersey police detective. He in turn sold it for $6,000 in 1974 to Robert Kiernan of Madison, New Jersey, who held onto the car until he died in 2014.

 

Kiernan rejected multiple offers for the car, including one from McQueen himself, according to the New York Times. He left it to his son, Sean.

 

"I would like to appeal to you to get back my '68 Mustang," McQueen wrote to Kiernan in 1977, according to the Times. "I would like very much to keep it in the family, in its original condition as it was used in the film, rather than have it restored; which is simply personal with me."

 

McQueen died in 1980 at age 50. Robert Kiernan never responded to McQueen's letter, which Sean Kiernan still has, the Times said.

 

Sean Kiernan told Mecum in a promotional video that his mother drove the car until the clutch failed in 1980. It went nearly 40 years without being driven until recently, with 65,000 miles on the odometer, Kiernan said.

 

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta, additional reporting by Rich McKay; Editing by David Gregorio)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-11

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[rumak]

I knew i should have held onto that car.    Anyone want to buy the motorcycle I used to jump the fence ?

[DaRoadrunner]

17 minutes ago, rumak said:

I knew i should have held onto that car.    Anyone want to buy the motorcycle I used to jump the fence ?

You lookin good for a guy that died in 1980.

 

Interesting to note the coincidence that when McQueen died in 1980 the clutch failed in the same year. The car died with him and went nearly 40 years without being driven. Spooky.

[ratcatcher]

31 minutes ago, rumak said:

I knew i should have held onto that car.    Anyone want to buy the motorcycle I used to jump the fence ?

What make was it, do you remember?

[DaRoadrunner]

[impulse]

More proof that some people just have too much money...

 

[Nyezhov]

Nice car.

[kickstart]

1 hour ago, ratcatcher said:

What make was it, do you remember?

Triumph TR6 Trophy. 

[rumak]

2 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

What make was it, do you remember?

can't even remember where i parked it .  

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2020 by rumak

[ratcatcher]

29 minutes ago, rumak said:

can't even remember where i parked it .  

I reckon you nicked it from kickstart.

[rumak]

OK,  look,  you guys are having problems with the exchange rate and all...

Special price for the glove .....   400K baht  (great for evenings when getting the silent treatment)

Edited January 11, 2020 by rumak

[atyclb]

14 hours ago, kickstart said:

16 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

What make was it, do you remember?

Triumph TR6 Trophy. 

during last year of high school and early university i drove a tr6 a lot. nice car, clutch a bit heavy and you feel every bump on the road

[atyclb]

15 hours ago, impulse said:

More proof that some people just have too much money...

 

 

symbolic for steve mcqueen whom many consider quite a cool actor. guess like james dean

 

like a stratocaster lit on fire and or smashed by hendrix, would also fetch a very high price

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, impulse said:

More proof that some people just have too much money...

 

You beat me to it.

Clutch failed at 65,000 miles- what a piece of junk!

 

The car in the movies lost a hub cap more than once, if I remember rightly.

 

I wonder what Bisset would get at auction, now, if she turned up dressed in just his shirt. Somehow I imagine not 3.something million $.

At the time, she was more exciting than the chase, which was quite sedate compared to more recent car chases in movies.

[Vacuum]

16 hours ago, impulse said:

More proof that some people just have too much money...

 

It's an investment. Same as people buys a canvas with some paint splattered on it, for very big money.

[gomangosteen]

17 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

What make was it, do you remember?

The Great Escape

Steve McQueen's Triumph TR6 Trophy

 

Triumph motorcycle exhibition: The Great Escape bike on show

 

 

 

 

[rumak]

20 minutes ago, gomangosteen said:

The Great Escape

Steve McQueen's Triumph TR6 Trophy

 

Triumph motorcycle exhibition: The Great Escape bike on show

 

 

 

 

Yep, that's me !    nice pic 

[maxcorrigan]

16 hours ago, kickstart said:

Triumph TR6 Trophy. 

Are you sure. if i remember correctly it looked like a Triumph 3T (350 twin) which was very popular around the time that film was made, I would like to see another picture of it, but don't remember any upswept exhaust pipe of the trophy TR 5/6!

[Penicillin]

9 hours ago, gomangosteen said:

The Great Escape

Steve McQueen's Triumph TR6 Trophy

 

Triumph motorcycle exhibition: The Great Escape bike on show

 

 

 

 

...and one of the greatest movies ever made. 

[impulse]

26 minutes ago, Penicillin said:

...and one of the greatest movies ever made. 

 

Still, motorcycles played no role in the actual escape, and the scene was only included to feed McQueen's ego and allow him to show off his scootering skills... 

 

Kind of like one of those picture shows where Ricky Nelson breaks out into song.  Adds nothing to the show, but...

 

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, Vacuum said:

It's an investment. Same as people buys a canvas with some paint splattered on it, for very big money.

It's only an "investment" as long as some are willing to pay large for something not actually worth much.

[atyclb]

23 hours ago, atyclb said:

during last year of high school and early university i drove a tr6 a lot. nice car, clutch a bit heavy and you feel every bump on the road

 

 

tr6 like buzzword so didn't realize also have tr6 trophy that is motorcycle

[ratcatcher]

On 1/12/2020 at 11:51 PM, impulse said:

 

Still, motorcycles played no role in the actual escape, and the scene was only included to feed McQueen's ego and allow him to show off his scootering skills... 

Kind of like one of those picture shows where Ricky Nelson breaks out into song.  Adds nothing to the show, but...

Actually, IMO, the motorcycle chase and fence leap and attempt to escape across the Swiss border were important parts of the film and added much to the tension and excitement. Maybe it was to feed McQueen's ego, most actors aim for that in one way or another.

"I could be wrong. It happens..."    In this case, maybe you were.