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What was thought to be lost is now found...

337K views 389 replies 107 participants last post by  BlakeTX 
#1 ·
And to think this almost got made in to an Eleanor.... Im very lucky I got to sit in it, I hope it gets restored properly.... wheres Jerry Heasly when you need him the most...:grin2:





 
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#254 · (Edited)
The first Bullitt movie car tucked away somewhere in the SE US is no longer truely original either. WB sent it to a body shop and they repaired and repainted some of the panels. The camera mounts remain as of mid 2000s but who knows what the owner has done. One conversation he was going to repair it and give it to his 16 year old at the time son....

From the photos I saw the front left fender and bumper were in need of replacement. That would not diminsh the providence of this vehicle for the collector.
 
#264 ·
Pic A Part in Sun Valley, (somewhat near Hollywood), do not know if it still exists, in the early 90's, I used to go there to find Mustang parts cheap. One day, there were 10 + / - 1965 1966 Mustangs on the pick line, all blue, all looked like they had been painted with a brush, some with welded on camera rails, some cut open for filming interior scenes, some had engines, some did not.

Obviously, some left overs from a movie, and I never found out what the movie was. They had a LOT of old Hollywood cars in there, including the A team truck, etc.

That was not the only time movie cars showed up there, and typically were on the pick line for a week or so, then off to the crusher.

This yard, just in the Ford Section, had about 450 cars at any time. They sat up on 4 "jack stands" made of welding 1 wheel flat, and 1 wheel vertical, on blacktop, in nice neat rows. But it was continuous. A big slid loader would take away a car to the crusher, the area where the car had been was swept, the loader returned with another car, placed it on the stands, and picked up the next car, lather, rinse repeat. The cars did not hang around long. Typically, there were 10 - 15 Mustangs at any time.

One day, I saw a 1967 Fastback on the skids heading out. It was a 390 car, no engine, good body except for a crushed quarter. As soon as it was down, I grabbed the disk brakes, the AM FM, the console, and the pedals,and the tach dash. That was all I could get, as that was all the money I had, and I was in my Ford Tempo, so I only had so much room. It had a deluxe interior (should have grabbed the stainless and fiberglass, but I did not know how valuable they were), fold down, etc. . I stopped there the next day after work. The car was basically just a shell by then. In a week, it was gone.
 
#265 ·
Not sure why some think that this is some sort of "witch hunt". I, for one, would love for this to be the real deal, and hope to learn that it is. That said, there are a number of red flags that make many of us skeptical. Hopefully, we will all learn more details, see more photos of the sheetmetal that was removed, etc.
 
#266 ·
Could someone explain the use of a generator in the trunk? IIRC someone said it was for lights? But lights for what?
 
#270 ·
I'm with Patrick, if the car was white, and was going to be "eloneroized", how'd it end up Satin green?

If the restoration was started before the Marti report, why were the generator holes not fixed when the floor was replaced?

Had the car been verified in the white state that was shown, I'd have believed the authentication.

As it stands now, anything can be faked if there is enough money involved.
 
#272 · (Edited)
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#280 ·
Please...don't. :|

This is really incredible news. But I know I'm not the only one that wishes they'd restore it back to "just off the movie set" condition, and not showroom condition. Hopefully, the second car will now finally make an appearance...twinsies for the 50th!:pirate:
 
#281 · (Edited)
Good news from Kevin Marti; this puts my earlier skepticism at rest... :) ;)

We can only HOPE that the family who is holding onto the other Bullitt will at least come to the surface now.
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The linked picture confirms (1) thing for sure, the Mexico Sanchez/Garcia Bullitt was the one with the GT equipment options; the OTHER Bullitt supposedly did not have the same option group (i.e.: rear valance was not GT w/ the dual tip exit holes).

This is also fact when viewing the original movie - (1st) Bullitt has the dual exhaust protruding below a non-GT valance, while the (2nd) Bullitt has the exhaust coming through the GT valance cutouts.

------

If either Bullitt were in my possession - I would restore them back to their respective MOVIE rolls - being a direct restoration of how they were in the movie, with the exact reinforcements, equipment used for filming, etc...

Not restoring them back to just "as built" from Ford.
 

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#287 ·
If either Bullitt were in my possession - I would restore them back to their respective MOVIE rolls - being a direct restoration of how they were in the movie, with the exact reinforcements, equipment used for filming, etc...

Not restoring them back to just "as built" from Ford.
From what Ive been following on other historic cars like the R model shelby that got restored, I totally agree to restore it to the day Max B & co. handed the modified cars over to the studio to start filming the movie, that would be its historic high point.... I hope Ralph and Hugo surround themselves with the most knowledgeble people to get this thing done the proper way and have it displayed as much as possible....
 
#282 ·
Also to note - not sure if applied to both Bullitts, but you can clearly see in still images from the movie there was extensive steel bar bracing seen under the driver side rocker - both forward of the front seat and after it. This can also be seen in many of the famous close ups as well as some front-on stills if looking under the car.

The thread I linked earlier that I posted back in 2010 on IMBOC, regarding the hidden Bullitt; the cars had heavy duty springs installed - that also explains why in some scenes Bullitt looks like it is lifted or sits extremely higher than normal, especially the scenes showing the side by side from the rear of Bullitt & the Charger.

I hope they restore this Bullitt to movie spec... Do it right.
 
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#285 ·
Wonder if they'll "restore" the original dents in the front end that McQueen did. He wanted to make it look like a beater detective car, not a new car off the lot, so he dinged the front bumper a bit to make it look work worn.
 
#286 ·
I believe Bullitt #5559 will surface soon. The owner recently passed away and supposedly his son states the car will be available after the estate is settled. The car is near Hendersonville, Tennessee. I requested a title history search on 8R02S125559 from the Tennessee DMV a few years ago and they responded back to the effect of no information would be released on the vehicle without the owners permission. Apparently that vin had raised a red flag to the department due to the magnitude of people wanting to locate the car.
Since this newly discovered Bullitt has a legal California title, hopefully the owner it was last registered to can be contacted and provide valuable information plus previous ownership and possible photos. Someone in the 70's was cruising the streets of California in a red then white '68 mustang fastback and had no clue of it's movie provenance. Astonishing!
 
#289 ·
I haven't read the posts all through but what I don't understand is what car this is supposed to be ? For years legend has it that 2 Mustangs were used, 1 car was destroyed during/after filming and the other car is owned by someone in Kentucky who refuses to sell it or even show pictures, that one would be the same one McQueen tried to buy with that letter he wrote. So what is this car supposed to be ? A 3rd car ?
 
#290 ·
The car just found is the car that was "destroyed" by filming. It was junked. That's the key word, junked. Means a lot of different things to different people - and to different scrap yards. This car was sent to be junked after the movie shoot, but whoever received the car obviously decided not to send it to the crusher. Quick repaint, a fix up a bit here or there, and voila.... a driveable car. You make more money selling a car than junking it, so it saw a new life. Several repaints and many years later, it's finally left for dead in Baja. Until now.
 
#291 ·
I can't tell you how happy reading this thread makes me.

Was there ever a pic taken of the generator used for filming, perhaps from back in the day?
 
#293 ·
Fede -

Can you get the current owners to post more pics of the vehicle on here - like any before pics and such? Are they members of this site or any others perhaps?

Are they getting lots of media attention? Watch out for those TMZ guys - lmao!!


Are they going to document the restoration process on here - THAT would be awesome.
 
#298 ·
Cobra Jet, our local club president was offered the car some time ago, we are trying to have the person who was selling it , to do a little bit of a trace on the vehicles history, when we have some more solid info I will gladly share it here.

None of the owners are members here, and I highly doubt they will do the "internet forum" thing...

Id venture to say with such an historic car it should get documented, again at this point I dont know anything, but will gladly update as soon as I get first hand info from Ralph...
 
#295 ·
Perhaps a moderator, or Fede himself, can edit the thread title to state something about the content being the Bullitt car, now authenticated? Nick, perhaps? ;) :)
 
#296 · (Edited)
Regarding the letter Steve McQueen wrote - being an avid Mustang Enthusiast, having owned 19 to date including some classics - and being a huge Bullitt fan and following LOTS over the years....


Let's NOT get any of the facts confused OR associated with the wrong vehicles.

The below is a very factual analytical statement and assessment from me:

The McQueen letter was regarding only Bullitt 5559, not 5558. As far as anyone knew - and as history knew it, Bullitt 5559 was the ONLY surviving movie vehicle of the time (during the subsequent years after the movie and those years Mr McQueen was alive). The 2nd owner of 5559 was Frank Marranca, a retired Police Detective located in NJ. He owned Bullitt 5559 from 1970 to 1974. Frank stated to Brad Bowling in magazine articles he was contacted by McQueen around 1977 and asked about the car, because McQueen was seeking to buy it back - by that time period, it was already out of Frank's possession. Frank gave McQueen the info to the 3rd owner (current owner) and for doing so, McQueen sent Frank an autographed photo and letter in December 1977 thanking him for his efforts.

Excerpt from article:
3 years after he (Frank) sold the Bullitt Mustang, Marranca received a phone call from Steve McQueen, who was an avid car enthusiast and collector. He had been trying to track the car down for some time in order to add it to his collection. Marranca gave McQueen the contact information for the person who had bought it from him, but when McQueen called the 3rd owner up he was told the car was not for sale. The only thing the new owner agreed to do was to let McQueen be the first to know should he change his mind and decide to part with it. McQueen died of cancer just a few months later.
Bullitt 5558 was never sought after by McQueen or anyone else (up until 2017), because again, everyone who knew anything about it had written it off as scrap (no offense, no pun intended, but true).
 
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