2019 Mustang Bullitt: From Hollywood Superstar to Supercar
Better Aspiration
With 480 HP and 420 lbs.-ft. of torque, the Bullitt makes 20 more horses than your average GT; thanks to simple custom tuning, a borrowed GT350 intake manifold, and a bigger, 87-millimeter throttle body. And, of course, the open-air filter helps gulp larger amounts of air.
Specially-tuned Exhaust
YouTuber StangMode recently got the privilege of hanging with the car’s head designer, Chris Stevens, to explore the gravitas of Ford’s brand new tribute pony. One of the things Stevens talks about is how “the sound engineers capture the same grunt as the original 1968 Bullitt Mustang.” Similar to the S197 version of the Bullitt.
Well, one of the ways they did that was by tweaking the design of the mufflers and taking advantage of the car’s native harmonics. By virtue of pure aural evaluation, the Bullitt sounds amazing. It crackles and pops. Way more than a regular GT. And that matters for the sake of distinction from the GT more than it does resembling the original movie car itself.
Bigger Brakes, Bigger Confidence
Of course the Bullitt gets the six-piston Brembos in the front. Literally no one expected anything less. They bite like rabid dogs and stop all 3,705 pounds of metal rocketing around streets or on a track with utter ease.
However, the issue I have with the brakes has nothing to do with their performance as much it does with aesthetic. I understand Ford is trying to accomplish a distinction in the color scheme, but I think trying to create a stark contrast between the body and the wheels could have been done better.
The Bullitt was created to be visually low-profile—no emblems, no fancy lights, no conspicuous trinkets. When I look at the bright red calipers, they just don’t vibe well with the rest of the vehicle. They’re flashy, garish, and downright jarring to look at. This was also a problem on the 2001 version. Ironically, the 2008-2009 model years fixed that issue with simply making the calipers darker. Yet, they’ve decided to go back to this.
Nonetheless, it’s nothing a quick PlastiDip can’t fix, but perhaps Ford should reconsider the hue for the sake of optimal design for the 2020 model year.
Pilot Sport Grip
Regardless of the what the brakes look like, we have to take some time to acknowledge the wonderful stickiness of the Michelin Pilot 4S street tires. The Performance Package 1 on the Mustang GT also comes with these, and there is a good reason. The profile of the tires, mated with the 19-inch aluminum wheels, is virtually a match made in heaven.
They take a lot of punishment on the twists and turns, and grip like a dead man’s hand from a dig. And that’s even when they aren’t exactly baked on the pavement just yet.
2019 Mustang Bullitt: From Hollywood Superstar to Supercar continued…
