2019 Mustang Bullitt gets cosmetic, performance, and handling upgrades from Steeda and McQueen Racing.
The 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt is pretty damn cool. Its low-key exterior and 480-horsepower V8 make it a proper homage to the 1968 Mustang that inspired it featured in the film Bullitt. The Steve McQueen Edition Bullitt from Steeda manages to be even cooler.
That Steve McQueen part is not just marketing or PR fluff. The “King of Cool” died in 1980, but his only son, Chad McQueen, is alive and well. In fact, he’s a professional racer and the man behind McQueen Racing (MR). He teamed up with Steeda to create the coolest Bullitt around.
On the outside, the Steve McQueen Edition Bullitt sports a new front fascia, rear quarter window louvers, and special 20-inch wheels modeled after those on the 1968 movie car wrapped in Nitto NT555 G2 tires (275/35-20 front and 315/35-20 rear).
Steeda and MR enhance the 5.0-liter V8 by installing a cold air intake and running a performance tune, boosting horsepower to an even 500. That’s connected to short throw shifter topped with an MR shift knob.
To make the Bullitt better able to hit its performance targets, MR and Steeda equip the Steve McQueen Edition Bullitt with a variety of suspension and subframe upgrades, including front and rear sway bars, bracing, sport springs, performance shocks and struts (for cars without MagneRide dampers), and a K-member support brace.
Pricing starts at $20,995, but doesn’t include the 2019 Bullitt donor car, which has a starting price of $46,595. For those seeking to make the Steve McQueen Edition Bullitt ice cold, Steeda and MR offer upgrades ranging from a rear seat delete kit to a four-point roll cage to a supercharger that increases engine output to 775 horsepower – perfect for chasing a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat up and down the hills of San Francisco.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
