The #558 Bullitt Mustang is described as the jumper car, however if you look closely at periods publications, it has the same front fender scratch and the bent up left front bumper section as the Mustang used through the movie and visible on screen.
The car is not consistently identified throughout all Bullitt publications, so there is still some mystery left.
Probably #559 is the one that we should identify in the few movie scenes more clearly, since most of the time the scratched fender car #558 is visible.
Acc. to Max Balchowsky, one car should have a front end damage #558 and the other #559 a rear end damage, since he let them drive into each other. What is true? False memories or was one car not usable after Cotati Raceway testing with Steve and Bill?
We will dive into that again soon. So long, we take #558 still as the jump and stunt car.
Below is the car as found around 2015 in a mexican yard.
#558 is the stunt car, or a better definition is "jumper" car.
A number of modifications were done on the two cars before they were used in the movie.
The Stunt car was not treated carefully, but served its purpose. #558 is used in most of the chase scenes actually.
(More pics will follow this week)
>>More to follow this week.
It was straigthened, cleaned and installed already on the first rebody, when it was planned to become an Eleanor.
On the right you also see the door tag installed during the first presentation in Mexico
Jim Warriner is the second owner in the team taking care of the financial aspects and marketing.
2016
- Kevin Marti crawled under the car and over the remaining body parts
shown outside of this showroom on palettes and strapped to an SUV.....
finally he confirmed the remainders visible and VIN containing metal to be
of the true car.
So what would you have done?
There was only one direction - forward and redo anything with NOS or original parts and focus on the unique Bullitt Mustang pieces to preserve what was kept at least in a new shell.
Anyway some of the original installed parts have been preserved and added again to the new body.
Those are:
- The tire smoke opening in the left rear fender.
- The undercarriage frame segments, at least those were used for reconstruction.
- The door tag and the piece of the front fender, where the VIN is located. Any other pieces may have to be checked again by the all-present experts.
The rebuild team from World Class Restorations (WCPR) that made it happen. Jim Warriner on left and Ralph Garcia 3rd from left.
Interior shot shows the Bullitt typical lever.
Ralph Garcia Jr. from WCPR handed the award or certificate over to Matt Stone including a genuine 558 artifact from the - white as found - body piece.
Only a few pics are available of the actual jumping car. If you have any hi-res pics of the scene, let us have them to add it to our site.
