Last month we reported about the lost Bullitt Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in the iconic 1968 movie of the same name, and that it was supposedly found in a Mexican scrapyard. At the time, there wasn't confirmation regarding its authenticity, but now The Los Angeles Times is claiming America's "most respected Ford authenticator" has confirmed the Mustang is the real deal. Ralph Garcia Jr. is the owner of a Paramount-based body shop and also builds replicas of the "Eleanor" Mustang.

He said he was contacted by an associate named Hugo Sanchez in Mexico stating he found a "clean" 1968 Mustang fastback. The initial thinking was that this old Mustang would make a good Eleanor donor car. After delivering the car to Garcia's shop, Sanchez decided to run the car's VIN out of curiosity, only to discover it wasn't any ordinary Mustang. "That's how we found out it was the 'Bullitt' car." Garcia and Sanchez quickly called Ford evaluator, Kevin Marti, who confirmed the car's identity. If you recall, two identical Mustang fastback's were used for filming, one was the "hero" car, whose whereabouts are known, while the second was the "jumper" for all of the stunts.

"This is the jumper," Marti says, who says documents as well as changes to the car's suspension reaffirm its origins. So what's happening to the Mustang next? For starters, it's worth about $1 million, but Garcia says he's not selling, despite a few offers. Instead, this second Bullitt Mustang is headed for a complete restoration, but it could still end up at auction once it's returned to tip top shape.