top of page
2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt
Your manual transmission journey begins behind the wheel of this limited edition Ford Mustang! Click the images below to learn more about my car and it's heritage.
Bullitt
"Bullitt" is a limited production trim of the Ford Mustang inspired by the 1968 Ford Mustang GT from the 1968 cult classic film titled "Bullitt".
Movie
The movie Bullitt stars Steve McQueen as Lieutenant Frank Bullitt of the San Francisco Police Department. He becomes involved in a witness protection case, hired to keep a client safe so he can make it to court. Long story short, he fails to do so and tries to identify the murderers, the motive, and the true identity of the man he was ordered to protect.
Let's Be Frank
Let's Be Frank is the name of a feature length documentary that I released back in 2019. It covers the Ford Mustang Bullitt ownership experience by conducting interviews with local owners and following them on a Route 66 cruise in celebration of the Bullitt movie's 50th anniversary. This documentary also includes exclusive footage of 2 of Ford's pre-production S550 Bullitt models before they were available for sale. A 4 episode mini series was also released shortly after the documentary that continues the story and includes coverage of the auction of the original car used in the 1968 movie which had been hidden away since the 1970's. The documentary and mini series are available to watch on Facebook and YouTube on their respective pages.
Hoondog
Hoondog Performance Group is a car club with most members residing in the United States and Canada. Hoondog is a club that centers around Mustang Bullitt owners but is also supportive of Ford and Mustang in general. Each year they host an annual Bullitt Nationals event hosted in a different city/state. Bullitt Nationals will be in Colorado Springs, CO for 2024. I am also currently training in to be one of the club's newest officers after being a club member since 2018.
Years
The Bullitt trim of Mustang is available in 3 different generations. The first Bullitt was available in 2001 on Ford's "New Edge" platform. The 2nd generation Bullitt (mine) was available for model years 2008 and 2009 on Ford's S197 platform. The most recent is the 3rd generation Bullitt available for model years 2019 and 2020 on Ford's S550 platform.
Colors
Horsepower
This car sports a naturally aspirated 4.6L V8 engine with a modest output of 315hp. The Bullitt has 15 more hp than the dime-a-dozen Mustang GT, but significantly less than the supercharged Shelby GT500 at 500hp. It is also significantly less than its 3rd generation Bullitt brother which has 480hp out of a naturally aspirated engine.
Transmission
The 2nd gen Bullitt comes equipped with a Tremec TR-3650 5-speed manual transmission. The shift pattern displays Reverse in the lower right hand corner.
Production #
Ford Mustang Bullitts are collectible cars, so much so that Ford created stickers and plates to identify their production number to be displayed on/in the car. My 2008 Bullitt is production #2227 which can be confirmed on a plate in the center of the engine's strut bar.
Modifications
This car is virtually completely stock. It has a K&N Air Filter, American Muscle cue ball shift knob, and an American Muscle bullet shaped antenna. There is also an American Muscle 2" clutch pedal extension adapter. There's also an underbody glow kit. That's it.
Exterior
A lot of people mistake the Mustang Bullitt for a simple V6 Mustang because of its "low profile" look. The Bullitt is the absolute definition of a "sleeper car" regardless of which generation you're referring to. Unlike many Mustangs from the same time period, Bullitts do not come with rear spoilers and they're not even an option. It is also standard for these cars to have a badge delete in the front grille which gives it such a nice clean look. It also sports exclusive badging on the rear deck lid. The wheels are also 1" larger than the standard wheels available on the Mustang GT, they're also a darker shade of gray, "Anthracite" I believe.
Interior
The inside of this generation of Bullitt is truly special. The centerpiece of attention is the vintage-look aluminum dash which is unique to the Bullitt. You can also find Bullitt badging in the center of the steering wheel and on the door sills. The car comes with a steel shift knob from the factory vs the standard V6 and GT cars that come with a leather wrapped shift knob. Many Bullitt owners of this generation choose to swap out the stock shift knob with a cue ball shifter as that is what was used in the 1968 movie car. The stock shift knob is also solid steel so it absorbs a considerable amount of heat from both temperature and vehicle use. Many aftermarket shift knobs, such as my cue ball, are made of other materials and do not absorb heat making them MUCH easier to use.
Story
This car has been my dream car since it was first revealed back in 2007. Naturally, I wanted the signature Dark Highland Green, but when I saw this one up for sale it was at a miraculously low price during a market of outrageously inflated prices. I took advantage and co-bought it with my dad less than 4 hours after it was posted for sale.
History
I am the 3rd owner of this car. To the best of my knowledge, the first owner only owned it for 1 year and put on about 10,000 miles. The second owner held on to it from about 2009 to 2021 and contributed about 19,000 miles. In my short few years owning it, its been my daily driver and I've taken it on multiple cross-country road trips. It now sits at about 57,000 miles. Still very low for its age.
Fun
Being that this car is 15 years old or so, there are certainly more capable and sportier Mustangs available. That said, it is still a fun street car with ample power. It's elegance is in its simplicity. No excessive and unnecessary technology. A classic muscle car experience with modern mechanics.
Racing
While I have not actually competed in any form of racing with this vehicle, it is absolutely my intention to do so in the near future. Autocross is the likely the best option for beginners on a budget. Drag racing is also an option, however, driving straight in a completely stock car doesn't feel like the best use of my time. Road course would a lot of fun as well, however, that is a more intensive experience, I'm not sure how my stock car could handle running hard out in the sun for several laps/minutes in a row. I would feel more confident in the Bullitt's more track ready cousin the Mustang Boss. I'd love to try drifting out at some point as well, however, that's a dangerous one to try out when it's your daily driver and you literally can't afford to make mistakes.
bottom of page