Two Fords Look BACK to the Future
The T-Bird and Bullitt Mustang

by Denise McCluggage

“The cars we fell in love with and the cars we fell in love in.”

That’s how the Ford executive evoked the original Thunderbird and the Mustang in introducing to the assembled motoring journalists the new Thunderbird and the special edition Bullitt Mustang.

The music was period; the nostalgia was slathered on with a spatula, and the romantic appeal may well have resonated with many.

Not me.

I certainly never loved those cars back then. I was beyond that. Too smitten by “real” sports cars from abroad to do other than sneer at the pink and port-holed T-Bird or the crude brute that was the Mustang. (Anyway, my preference among Detroit iron then: the Barracuda.)

But, funny thing happened on the way to the future. It turns out what the Ford exec had wrong in my case was the tense, because in the following few days I fell wide-grin in love with both the new Thunderbird and the Bullitt Mustang. What a surprise! What a revelation! What fun!

And it is not that I’ve changed; the times and the cars have. The new millennium versions of these two Fords are more than mere symbols, more than an easy ploy to stir nostalgic applause: these are real cars. I can relate to that.

First, the Bullitt Mustang.

The Ford Bullitt Mustang

It’s a special numbered edition of only 6500 to commemorate the 1968 fastback Mustang that memorably chased about the hills and environs of San Francisco in the Steve McQueen movie, “Bullitt.”

Ford could have merely painted it pretty, slapped on the “Bullitt” name, put a DVD of the flick in each glove box and waited for collectors to gather. The Ford folks did much more. They tweaked and fiddled and buttressed producing a singularly desirable machine. (And it can be had appropriately dark in green, blue or black.)

The Bullitt is not SVT hot like the Mustang Cobra, but it outperforms the Mustang GT. Digs out better with good low-end torque, responds quickly to the throttle at all speeds and handles appreciably better - thanks to Ford Racing. The car is stiffer and so are the springs and anti-roll bars, yet the ride is not harsh. The brakes (discs) are bigger and quite effective. ABS and traction control are also standard. (Lt. Frank Bullitt, McQueen’s character, would be speechless, but then he was always tight-lipped.)

The Cool Looks department also gets attention: side scoops, neat wheels, leather. But just maybe the best thing about the Bullitt is its exhaust note, somewhere between a rumble, a howl and a moan. Don’t be surprised to see a disproportionate number of Bullitts frequenting roads with tunnels or running beside steep escarpments. The windows will be down; drivers will be beaming.

The other grin-producing aspect of the Bullitt Mustang is the fine ride it gives on tight and curly roads. Taut, responsive with a turn-in like a barrel-racing pony. It does good work. (CONTINUE...)