Mustang Coupe

Make
Ford
Segment
Coupe

With a leaked window sticker and photos doing the rounds online, it's been looking almost certain that Ford will launch a new Bullitt Edition of the 2018 Mustang. It's now emerged that the first production example may be sold at Barrett Jackson's upcoming Scottsdale auction taking place on January 19, implying that the long-awaited 2018 Ford Mustang Bullitt Edition will finally be revealed next week. The information comes from the Mustang 6G forum after members discovered a mysterious listing for the auction dubbed 'Ford Charity Vehicle.'

The description reveals that "Ford Motor Company will auction a special new Ford Mustang to be sold with 100% of the hammer price benefiting charity." There's no other information, but tellingly the auction listing features a darkened image of the classic Bullitt Mustang. All proceeds will also reportedly be going to Boys Republic, a private all-boys school for troubled adolescents. As Mustang 6G points out, Steve McQueen, the star of Bullitt who drove the Mustang 390 GT in the famous San Francisco chase scene, also happened to attend the school when he was 16 and went on to serve as honorary chairman in 1966 and 1975. Coincidence? Probably not.

This year also happens to be the 50th anniversary of Bullitt, so what better way to celebrate the film's legacy? Being based on the 2018 model, the new Mustang Bullitt is expected to be powered by the same naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8 as the standard car, possibly with some minor performance enhancements. Leaked photos have also shown the 2018 Mustang Bullitt finished in Dark Highland Green as a homage to the original Mustang 390 GT that featured in the 1968 film, and sporting a faux filler cap. We'll most likely see the new Bullitt Edition Mustang make its debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week before the auction, so watch this space.