In nearly six decades since the debut of the legendary nameplate, several Mustangs have appeared in Hollywood blockbuster movies. Some were just ordinary models that didn't really stand out, but these five awesome 'Stangs were anything but ordinary.
Since it debuted at the New York World's Fair in 1964, the Mustang has become not just the most famous production model manufactured by Ford but also one of the most famous cars ever built.
The model that coined the pony car segment and the only one of its kind to be continuously produced since the sixties, the 'Stang has reached its seventh generation.
Even if the automotive industry is stepping away from ICEs and embracing EVs, the iconic Ford seems destined to continue galloping for years to come.
A marketing hit from the get-go, the Mustang was an obvious choice for many Hollywood producers who featured the car in their films.
While some went more or less unnoticed, these unique five 'Stangs have reached superstar status by scoring high on the cool scale.
1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback - Bullitt
Photo: Ford Motor Co.
For the younger, streaming platform-addicted crowd, the 1968 neo-noir action thriller directed by Peter Yates might seem too old to watch.
I'm not trying to convince you that it's still an excellent movie, but if you're a car enthusiast, you must watch at least the first ten minutes.
The movie starts with what is still one of the most thrilling car chases ever filmed, in which a black Dodge Charger with bad guys on board is trying to evade a Highland Green Mustang GT driven by the main character - Detective Frank Bullitt.
Because of that scene and the fact that the detective was played by Hollywood god, Steve McQueen (aka King of Cool), the Mustang became one of the coolest, most iconic movie cars ever.
Based on a stock 1968 GT fastback, the 'Stang featured in the movie was tuned by car builder Max Balchowsky, who reinforced the suspension, added some hot rod magic to the 390 engine to harness more power, and gave it some minor exterior enhancements.
Contrary to popular belief, two nearly identical examples were used during production. The one featured in the famous car chase survived largely unrestored, and in 2020, it became the most expensive Mustang ever sold, fetching $3.74 million at a Mecum auction.
The other car, used for more hardcore stunts, was believed to have been scrapped, but recently, the original shell was discovered in Mexico, and it's currently undergoing a painstaking restoration process.
1967 Ford Mustang Fastback - The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Photo: Toprank Vehicle Imports
The first two movies of the Fast & Furious franchise had a more profound impact on popularizing car tuning than any other film ever produced.
While arguably not as great, the third movie of the franchise contributed to the car culture by drawing attention to the Japanese drifting scene.
The plot centers around teenager Sean Boswell (played by Lucas Black), who gets in trouble for crashing a car and, ends up moving to Tokyo, where his US Navy father is stationed.
While the movie features many amazing JDM cars, arguably the coolest one is an American-made, first-generation Mustang, which serves as Sean's go-to weapon as he tries to make a name for himself in the local drifting scene.
A 1968 Fastback painted Highland Green as a tribute to the Bullitt 'Stang mentioned above and adorned with Shelby-style dual stripes, the car is turned from a heap of junk into a tire-shredding monster.
Apart from the Bullitt homage, the coolest thing about this car is the Nissan RB26 straight-six found inside its engine bay.
The unique Mustang was built by Sean Morris, who used a tuned, single-turbo RB26 linked to an FS530RA five-speed manual transmission and a Ford 9.0-inch rear end.
Additionally, five other V8-powered 'Stangs with the same paint scheme were used for most of the action scenes, including those where the car went sideways.
1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1/Boss 429 – John Wick
Photo: Classic Restorations
Unlike the Fast & Furious franchise, the Jonk Wick movies are not about cars, but the main character, a retired assassin played by Keanu Reeves, returns to his old habits after Russian gangsters steal his car and kill his puppy.
The car in question, which earned the nickname "Hitman," was a gorgeous 1969 Mustang Boss 429.
Though each of the 'Stangs used during the production of the initial movie was customized to resemble the legendary Boss, none were genuine 428s, but instead 1969 Mach 1s.
The car became so popular that Oklahoma-based shop Classic Restorations was given the go-ahead to produce a limited number of replicas powered by custom Coyote V8s capable of 1,000 hp.
According to the company's website, the genuine Mach 1-based restomod movie replica can still be ordered with pricing starting at $372,000.
Saleen S281 Extreme – Transformers
Photo: Mecum
In 2007, Hasbro's Transformers toy line was brought to life in an epic science fiction action film starring Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Megan Fox, and Jon Voight.
The action centers around a teenager who gets caught up in a war between two factions of alien robots (Autobots and Decepticons) who transform into Earthly machines - primarily vehicles.
Though the star transformers are a 1994 Peterbilt 379 semi-trailer truck (Optimus Prime) and a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro (Bumblebee), one of the coolest transforming vehicles in the movie is a fifth-generation Mustang-based Saleen S281 Extreme Police car.
A Decepticon called Barricade, the 'Stang used during the making of the film, didn't actually transform into a robot, but it was nonetheless epic.
Powered by a supercharged 4.6-liter V8 rated at 465 hp, the beast was capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in under 5 seconds and ran the quarter mile in the low twelves.
Apart from the car used on set, two additional Barricades were constructed for press duties. One was auctioned off by Mecum in 2020, fetching $88,000.
1967 Shelby GT500 - Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
Photo: Mecum
The action film Gone in 60 Seconds initially hit the cinemas back in 1974, and one of its stars was a yellow first-generation Mustang.
A reboot followed in the 2000s, and while many argue that it was worse than the original, the Mustang it featured was undoubtedly better.
Though it was also dubbed Eleanor, as in the original movie, the pony car used was no longer a yellow 1971 Mustang SportsRoof, but a restomodded 1967 Fastback finished in silver with black "Le Mans" stripes that was depicted as a Shelby GT500.
Designed by Steve Stanford and Chip Foose, the car was built by Cinema Vehicle Services (CVS) in around eleven examples. Five were reportedly used during film production, and six took on press duties.
Out of the initial cars, only three were fully functional, with power coming from Ford 351 crate V8s.
Apart from the 400-hp engine, these cars also received a host of modern hardware like improved suspension, steering, and braking components.
Today, the Eleanor is the most reproduced design by custom builders, and it's by far the coolest, most famous movie 'Stang of all time.
Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times. Full profile
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