5 Unofficial Ford Bullitt Cars That Steve McQueen Would Have Probably Loved

His garage included exotic Ferraris, Jaguars, and Porsches and quite a few race cars, including those he used in the 1971 "Le Mans" film. The list included rare and expensive track beasts like the Porsche 917, Porsche 908, Ferrari 512, and the Ford GT40. However, McQueen never got to own the car he's most often associated with. Yup, I'm talking about the 1968 Ford Mustang GT in Highland Green.

Steve drove the 'Stang in the 11-minute-long car chase that turned "Bullitt" (1968) into a blockbuster. The scene has been described as one of the most exciting car chases in film history and revolutionized Hollywood standards at the time. Despite numerous attempts to buy it, McQueen wasn't able to park the now-iconic Mustang in his garage.

But I'm not here to talk about the super rare pony (only two were used in the film) that's now worth millions of dollars. I'm here to show you a handful of cool Bullitt-spec Fords that the "King of Cool" would have probably enjoyed. They're just renderings made by Instagram's "jlord8," but prove that FoMoCo could have extended the Bullitt range beyond the Mustang.

Mercury Cougar Bullitt

A Bullitt version of the first-generation Cougar makes a lot of sense since the latter was essentially a slightly re-bodied and fancied-up Mustang with a Mercury badge. The rendering is not a Cougar finished in Highland Blue as much as it's a 1968 'Stang with a Mercury grille, which is a weird choice, but it doesn't look half bad.

Anyway, the first-gen Cougar has both the looks and the power to chase a Dodge Charger. Not only was it available with the same 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) FE V8 that Steve requested in the Mustang GT, but Mercury also introduced the mighty 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Cobra Jet in 1968.

Of course, the Cougar wasn't as popular as the Mustang at the time and that's exactly why McQueen went with a Ford instead of a Mercury, but maybe things might have been different if the "Bullitt" film would have spawned a sequel.

Ford SVT Lightning Bullitt

The Lightning nameplate is now applied to an all-electric truck, but the badge was previously used on a couple of high-performance versions of the F-150. The first one was built from 1993 to 1995 in response to the Chevrolet 454 SS, while the second variant arrived in 1999 and remained in production until 2004.

Kind of a big departure from a muscle car, you say? Well, the SVT Lightning was quite potent thanks to a supercharged, 5.4-liter V8 engine good for 360 or 380 horsepower, depending on the model year. And McQueen had a thing for trucks, especially his 1958 GMC and the 1952 Chevrolet 3800 camper conversion, which he drove a lot.

So I'm pretty sure he would have enjoyed a Bullitt version of the early 2000s Ford F-150, especially in Highland Green and with the clean front grille and 1968 Mustang wheels, as seen in the rendering above.

Ford Crown Victoria Bullitt

Introduced in 1991 and sold from 1998 to 2012 with minimal upgrades, the Crown Vic is a living legend. Sure, it's mostly remembered for its long career as a cab and a police interceptor, but the full-size sedan was just as popular as a civilian rig.

Quite potent for the late 1990s and early 2000s thanks to a 4.6-liter V8 (shared with the Mustang) rated at up to 239 horsepower, the Crown Victoria would have made a cool sleeper in a Bullitt suit.

Granted, McQueen wasn't crazy about the mundane-looking sedan, but I can definitely see him driving a Highland Green Crown Vic as an undercover cop in a modern rendition of the film.

Ford Bronco Bullitt

The Bronco emerged around the same time as the Mustang and it was just as influential as the pony car, so it would definitely deserve a Bullitt version. The rendering you see here is not based on the first-gen model, which Steve McQueen likely drove at some point, but it's derived from the fifth-generation SUV.

The largest iteration of the iconic hauler, the 1990s Bronco is famous for two things. One is the Eddie Bauer edition, which was loaded with options and sported unique trim inside and out. The other one is the white Bronco driven by Al Cowlings with O.J. Simpson in the back seat during a police chase on Interstate 405. The incident was broadcast live, being watched by about 95 million people in the United States.

Needless to say, a Bullitt version would have made the Bronco famous for a different car chase. One with the "King of Cool" inside a Highland Green SUV.

Ford Taurus SHO Bullitt

A high-performance version of the Taurus, the SHO (Super High Output) arrived almost 10 years late for Steve McQueen, but I'm pretty sure the actor would have loved this beefed-up four-door sedan. Because nothing beats an unassuming sleeper in a color that looks a lot like British Racing Green.

The SHO was first introduced in 1989 and was redesigned for the 1992 model year. The rendering you see here is based on the second-generation sedan, which looked sleeker and gained a 3.2-liter V6 with 220 horsepower and 215 pound-feet (292 Nm) of torque.

Ford offered a third-gen SHO from 1996 to 1999 and then revived the nameplate in 2010, keeping it in production until 2019. While the latter was the most powerful at 365 horsepower, it's the second-gen version that looks best in Highland Green and riding on 1968 Mustang wheels.

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