The 1968 'Bullitt' Mustang.

DETROIT: If any car is going to have a special edition that's sure to be met with huge excitement from enthusiasts, the car has to be the Ford Mustang, and the special edition has to be a "Bullitt" model paying homage to the iconic model driven by Steve McQueen in the classic 1968 movie.

Although Ford appears to have been trying to keep a lid on it, Automotive News is reporting that a 2018 Mustang Bullitt GT model is going to be unveiled at next week's Detroit Auto Show, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the film's release.

When asked about the possibility of a new Bullitt Mustang, Ford spokesman Mike Levine said on Wednesday, "We don't have any Mustang news to share today but we love the interest in America's favorite muscle car." Of course, that certainly isn't a denial, even though a Mustang Bullitt wasn't among the vehicles previewed for the media earlier this month ahead of the Detroit show.



The original 1968 Mustang featured in a car chase in the move "Bullitt" being driven by Steve McQueen, and it was a Mustang GT 390 Fastback model.

The 2018 version is sure to be finished in an almost identical green paint and is set to feature a set of five-spoke black wheels with a chrome lip along similar lines to those on the car in the movie. Whether there will be any performance upgrades to the car remains to be seen, and although the production run is sure to be limited, it's hard to say how many will actually be produced.

Of course, this certainly won't be the first time Ford will have built a Bullitt Mustang as a tribute to the iconic original. The first one was sold by Ford back in 2001, and the theme was returned to again in 2008 and 2009.

Rumours of a 2018 Bullitt Mustang have been circulating for a while now. Spy shots were taken of what appeared to be a dark green 2018 Mustang shooting a commercial in Chicago in late 2017, and a Mustang forum found an auction listing for a "special new Ford Mustang" to be sold on Jan 19. That listing states all proceeds will be going to a boy's school in California called Boy's Republic, which coincidentally boasts one Steve McQueen as a notable alumnus.

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