If you have been under a rock for the past year, and many of you may have been with Covid running wild, you may not have heard the news about the Mustang changing shape and style for the first time in over 55 years. With that, two of their most popular namesakes are potentially coming off the assembly line for the last time. The Bullitt GT and the GT350. To understand the gravity of this, you have to know where these names came from.
Bullitt Mustang GT
The Bullitt Mustang GT is one that was developed for the movie Bullitt. It was a dark highland green, highly modified 1968 Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the famous 12-minute car chase. Re-worked to have better suspension, better brakes, more horsepower, and a “haggard” look, the car and nickname both have become legend. Reproduced in the early 2000s and now again recently, these extra special GTs are a rare breed.
Mustang GT350
The GT350 was a high-performance (or higher performance if you like) version of the Mustang fastback. Built with everything from a modified Hi-Po, 306hp, 289ci engine to side exhaust with glasspack mufflers, the GT350s were Mustang’s first real venture into the racing scene. These cars were hard to live with, rode very uncomfortably, and would probably scare the neighbors out of their shoes. Small compromises for unmatched acceleration and handling.
So, with the demise of the coupe version of the Mustang, the names of these dramatic muscle machines are also following suit, but not without one last, fast hurrah. The 2021 Bullitt Mustang sports 480hp – some 20 over the stock GT. The GT350? Some 526hp… and BOTH sport some of the best sounds to come out of an automotive exhaust. As an avid Corvette fan, I can tell you… there is still nothing as intoxicating as a burly Mustang exhaust.
All the above goodness said the folks at Ford believe the Mach-E (pictured) is the future and not the rip-roaring coupes that have been the staple of fast driving for over FIVE decades. I do not agree, but then again, I’ve owned over 25 vehicles from before 1980, so I can say I like the old-fashioned ways better anyways.
In any event, now is the time to get good deals on some of the best sports coupes to ever grace the roads. The GT350 is still a pretty penny at over $65,000 and the Bullitt is a bit bloated at almost $55,000, but this may be the last time these names will be offered in glorious coupe shapes. I could see Ford eventually using the GT350 name on a Mach E Mustang…, but is it the same as the images of old? Not even close.
