The 10th-generation Ford Thunderbird provides a conceptual render rival to the SN-95 Mustang when it comes to an understated, fast Bullitt edition.
JLord8 on Instagram has been busy making ‘Bullitt’ versions of a range of cars. For those not familiar with the iconic Bullitt Mustang it’s a first-generation Ford Mustang that appeared in the Steve McQueen feature film and spawned various special editions later on.
The recipe is simple, take a dark-ish green color – ‘Highland Green’ was the original shade – add the same, black-rimmed Mustang wheels from the original classic car and that’s it. The car from the movie was an understated affair really, just the render we see before us.
It’s a Bullitt Ford Thunderbird, a tenth-generation Thunderbird, which is perhaps a great choice for this render – let’s take a closer look at the hypothetical sports car.
The 1968 Ford Bullitt Mustang Is The Inspiration Behind This Thunderbird
Arguably the Thunderbird is Jlord8’s best Bullitt render yet, what better than to fuse the bigger, upmarket sibling of the Mustang with one of its most iconic variants.
Nowadays, the original 1968 Bullitt Ford Mustang is a patina-covered artifact from decades ago, but the Thunderbird render is shiny and bright – it has the black rimmed wheels, no badging, and simple general design, over what looks like the Ford Thunderbird SC (Super Coupe).
The 3.8-liter supercharged V6 under the hood of the tenth-gen Thunderbird Super Coupe offered up to around 230 hp and 330 lb-ft, more than the V8 options for the T.Bird.
Thanks to the very sleek form of the Super Coupe here, it’s easy for the Bullitt Thunderbird to look fast and at the same time, understated thanks to the lack of any other embellishments. To make a true Bullitt though, the engine under the hood should be a V8, for iconic rumbles and instant torque.
The Ford Mustang Bullitt Is An Understated, Upgraded Version Of The ‘Stang
Ford made a second official Bullitt Mustang in 2001 on the SN-95 platform, and then another in 2008 on the S197 Mustang platform, which received modest power upgrades (15 hp and 5 lb-ft over the standard car), Highland Green paint, the same wheels and a badge delete, among other things like custom-designed dual exhaust system, stiffer shocks, upgraded brakes, and a strut brace for extra traction.
It wasn’t the last Bullitt. Another last Bullitt Ford Mustang once again returned for the S550 Mustang with the same recipe – rear spoiler delete, deleted badge on the front grille, green paint, same classic wheels and the front fog light delete among others – with a big upgrade to the power output of 480 hp from the same 5-liter Coyote V8 (some 30 hp more).
Today, the 10th-gen Thunderbird is worth around $10,000 with the Super Coupes worth up to $30,000 according to Classic.com. Buying a Bullitt Mustang will cost around $14,000 for the first generation from 2001, $26,000 for the 2008 car and the 2019 Bullitt Mustang is worth upwards of around $36,000.
