Fifty years ago, Steve McQueen had all the Ford branding ripped off the Mustang he’d be driving in Bullitt. That treatment has, over the decades, become a powerful brand. Irony, that. But no matter: The Bullitt Mustang is great, and after a decade furlough, it’s back.

You already know the look: dark green paint, black mag wheels, blacked-out exhaust tips, and minimal badging. Not quite minimal enough, to our tastes—the cross-hair emblem on the rear fascia is bigger than it needs to be. The 2019 Bullitt is still, hands down, the best-looking version of the latest Mustang. Minor interior tweaks include instrument panel graphics, specific dash stitching, and a unique pattern for the standard seats (Recaros are optional).

Your author with Gene Widdman (L), chief engineer of the Mustang. Josh Scott

Mechanical changes make the Bullitt the meanest Mustang shy of a GT350. The 5.0-liter V8 gets a larger throttle body and special intake for at least a 15-hp bump over the 460-hp GT. "We know we're over 475 hp and are still going through the final tuning to try to push that," says chief engineer Carl Widdman. A six-speed manual is the only transmission. Ford’s 10-speed automatic may have facilitated quicker acceleration, but Steve wouldn’t have cared, and neither should you. Active exhaust is standard. Widdman promises this Bullitt—the first since 2008, before Ford introduced the Coyote 5.0-liter V-8—will have a distinct growl. Top speed has been raised from 155 to 163 mph.

Josh Scott

The Bullitt essentially carries over suspension and brake upgrades from the GT’s Performance Pack—Brembo brakes with larger rotors, Michelin PS4 summer tires. Magnetorheological dampers will be optional. The Bullitt will not be offered with the track-oriented Performance Pack 2 (Michelin Sport Cup tires, stiffer suspension aero modifications). "Different kind of car," Widdman says.

Josh Scott

It’s also, Widdman’s careful to point out, a different kind of car than the original. The retro vibes come through more powerfully than ever in the marketing, thanks to the fiftieth anniversary and the rediscovery of the movie car. Ford even brought in Steve McQueen’s 30-year-old granddaughter, Molly, to introduce the thing. But for the Mustang development team, "Bullitt" is merely a byword for a "cool, refined, understated setup."

Josh Scott

Sounds about right to us. All due respect to the Transformers Camaros, movie cars always seem to try too hard. This Bullitt should be effortlessly cool, like the original car and McQueen himself.

Josh Scott

Ford hasn’t announced pricing yet, but we expect it to split the difference between a well-equipped GT (about $40,000, these days) and the Shelby GT350 ($58,045). It goes on sale this summer.

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