Bullitt: Old School Mustang vs. Old School Charger - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Cynthetiq · 08-19-2007, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Two Mustangs and two Dodge Chargers were used for the famous chase scene. Both Mustangs were owned by the Ford Motor Company and part of a promotional loan agreement with Warner Brothers. The cars were modified for the high-speed chase by veteran auto racer Max Balchowsky. Stunt coordinator Carey Loftin got Bud Ekins to drive the Mustang for the bulk of the stunts. Both of the Dodges were junked after the filming, as was one of the Mustangs. The other less banged-up Mustang was purchased by a WB employee after all production and post-production was completed. The car ended up in New Jersey a few years later, where Steve McQueen attempted to buy it. The owner refused to sell, and the car now sits in a barn and has not been driven in many years.

The chase sequence takes place over a number of non-contiguous streets in and south of San Francisco. The sequence apparently starts under Highway 101 in the Mission District. When the Charger does a U-turn on what is probably Bay Shore Boulevard to follow the Mustang, a storage tank on the San Bruno Hills, south of SF, is visible in the distance. The next few scenes are in the Vistacion Valley area; you can see green hills to the southwest on the horizon in one shot. Twenty-one seconds later, Coit Tower appears in the Mustang's front window to the east (as can be ascertained by the buildings' shadows). They then come to a stop for a Cable Car on Hyde Street and Filbert. The twin towers of Sts. Peter and Paul Church are visible just to the right of Coit Tower. They turn hard left next onto a four-lane street with a concrete median, what might be Columbus. A F-type street car is seen coming the opposite direction. They top a rise and Angel Island comes into view slightly on the left, placing them on about Stockton and Chestnut. They turn north, then west, then south uphill. In the next cut, they are coming downhill, north towards the Bay. They turn west and the next few scenes are inter-cut, reused footage of the same street sequence, as shown by repeated presence of the same Cadillac and a Green Volkswagen Beetle. They drive downhill or north, towards the Bay, and turn west in front of the same Caddy, several blocks north of Van Ness. They turn left or south, going uphill. They then are headed north and turn from Larkin St. onto Francisco St. headed west. In the next scene the Dodge is going north, rounding Laguna onto Marina, having leaped six blocks. They turn from Laguna St., in front of Ft. Mason, onto Marina and in front of the Safeway. (The bottom of the store's name can be seen as the Dodge veers onto Marina.) They accelerate down Marina with the Marina Green and the Bay visible in the background. In the next cut, Ft. Mason is again visible in the background as they once again round the turn on Marina onto the Marina green. With the next cut they turn in front of the Safeway again. The next cut puts them eight miles away, back in the Vistacion Valley district, turning right from University St. on to Mansell St. From there they cut to the San Bruno Mountains three miles away, heading west. After spinning out in the dirt shoulder, both cars are now headed east, evidenced by the shadows, before the Charger crashes.

The director called for speeds of about 75-80 mph, but the cars (including the ones containing the cameras) reached speeds of over 110 mph. Filming of the chase scene took three weeks, resulting in 9 minutes and 42 seconds of footage. They were denied permission to film on the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Mustang's interior mirror goes up and down depending who is driving it - Steve McQueen (up, visible) or Bud Ekins (down, not visible).

Willravel · 08-19-2007, 07:18 AM

That was one of the first DVDs I bought for myself. Quite frankly I don't know which made the other cooler, McQueen or the Shelby. I'd like to think they complimented each other giving us the ultimate cool.

QuasiMondo · 08-19-2007, 06:40 PM

Quite simply, the greatest car chase scene ever. It was like everything before and after it was just filler material.

Brewmaniac · 08-24-2007, 11:31 PM

Cynthetiq, thanks for the memory! I think I've seen this online before, but it's been a long time.
OK, now watching this makes remember another great car chase, but can't recall the movie.

It's a classic car chase in the end one of the cars crashes into a truck with it's tailgate open and going right through the windshield.

Could it be The Hunter another great Steve McQueen movie!

healer · 08-25-2007, 05:58 AM

That was the first time I've ever seen that legendary scene. WOW!

It's everything you want from a car-chase, and then some. And no dialogue - but I guess that was more because they would hardly be audible above the roar of those motors.

The funniest part was when the Shelby went off onto the dirt and spun. All I could think was: McQueen can't drift for shit!

Scorps · 08-25-2007, 11:41 PM

I personally a fan of Vanish Point but thats not bad at all

KirStang · 09-01-2007, 07:01 PM

Classic scene. Still as good today as when I saw it 5 yrs ago =D.

bodypainter · 09-02-2007, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by healer

The funniest part was when the Shelby went off onto the dirt and spun. All I could think was: McQueen can't drift for shit!

That's no Shelby. Looks like a standard 67/8 Mustang GT to me. Probably a 390 under the hood.

THGL · 09-04-2007, 07:15 AM

Awesome scene (as a Mustang guy I've always loved it).
Although it does come in 2nd on my list.

Number 1 is, of course, this beauty:

YouTube

Daemon1313 · 09-07-2007, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodypainter

That's no Shelby. Looks like a standard 67/8 Mustang GT to me. Probably a 390 under the hood.

Yep, '68 fastback with a mildly modified 390.

08-19-2007, 06:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
QuasiMondo Wise-ass Latino Location: Pretoria (Tshwane), RSA	Quite simply, the greatest car chase scene ever. It was like everything before and after it was just filler material. __________________ Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer. -From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

08-24-2007, 11:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
Brewmaniac Searching for the perfect brew!	Cynthetiq, thanks for the memory! I think I've seen this online before, but it's been a long time. OK, now watching this makes remember another great car chase, but can't recall the movie. It's a classic car chase in the end one of the cars crashes into a truck with it's tailgate open and going right through the windshield. Could it be The Hunter another great Steve McQueen movie! __________________ "That's a joke... I say, that's a joke, son" Last edited by Brewmaniac; 08-24-2007 at 11:45 PM..

08-25-2007, 11:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
Scorps Lost!! Location: Kingston, Ontario	I personally a fan of Vanish Point but thats not bad at all __________________ A.K.A. PainTrain

08-19-2007, 07:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	That was one of the first DVDs I bought for myself. Quite frankly I don't know which made the other cooler, McQueen or the Shelby. I'd like to think they complimented each other giving us the ultimate cool.

09-01-2007, 07:01 PM	#7 (permalink)
KirStang Future Bureaucrat	Classic scene. Still as good today as when I saw it 5 yrs ago =D.