I remember when the Movie Bullit came out and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But, can a stock Mustang really go that fast or was this a modified version?
CSA 
Iâd bet that Mustang was a âresto-modâ, old body with new engine/transmission/suspension/brakes. Even an old âfastâ Mustang wouldnât be geared for 150, in almost all cases.
1 Like
I donât see why not. One night on a deserted stretch of Interstate I had my '68 Roadrunners speedo needle past the 120 mark with some throttle left. Just seeing what it would doâŚ
I wonder if the guy will allow a YouTube video to surface from a dash cam. On the Kilpatrick Turnpike in OK City I believe.
Not enough horsepower from a âstockâ Mustang of sny early vintage to go that fast, Modern Mustangs - 2011 up - need about 450-480 HP to hit 150 mph. Shelby models will and do hit and exceed 150 but I donât think the police would consider those cars âvintage.â
That said, earlier Mustangs, 2004 and earlier, just didnât come with that much HP nor did big-block, high compression cars from the pre-1971 eras have the aerodynamics to hit 150 mph.
A 1968 Shelby Mustang KR with the 335 hp (yeah, right!) 428 has a 140 mph top speed listed. Aero as well as gearing should be the limit for this car.
The thought of a 60âs eras Mustang going that fast is pretty frightening. The suspension, steering, brakes and tires werenât great on a lot of muscle cars. 0 to 60 they were great, but a curve in the road could be a tragedy. When you see the makeovers on Velocity they do a lot to the suspension and brakes, and for good reason.
A quick search leads me to think 50% or more hp is needed to go 150 mph over 120 mph. Lots of cars can do 120, not many 150.
1 Like
I read a car magazine article on the âBullitâ Mustang years ago and it was modified to 400+bhp!
I had a 1967, 2 1971s, and a 1973. For some reason the only one I did not unexpectedly swap ends with was the 1967. The 1971 MACH 1 could be pretty frightening!
The reports Iâve seen said the police called it an âolder modelâ. That could be a 2000.
Police estimates of speed can be willdly inaccurate. Officers have often testified âI had to go 100 to catch himâ for example. Well, if the speeder was going 100 mph and the offocer was going 100 mph, he never would have caught him would he?
As far as Steve McQueenâs Mustang, allegedly he personally modified it. As a result, again allegedly, it would not oversteer when the director wanted.
Maybe the police barely got a look at it because it was moving too fast for them to get close enough to see anything more than that it was a Mustang.
Edit: Too bad the cops didnât have their Prius that day. Then they would have popped him.
A BIG +1!
And, most of the older Mustangs couldnât even qualify for the âmuscle carâ category.
The original Mustangs were simply Falcons with a more attractive body and a little less ground clearance. Brakes and suspension remained⌠primitive⌠and weak.
You mean like a six cylinder Mustang? Same as a six cylinder Ford Falcon with different sheet metal and seats. I could hardly get our Falcon up to 70.
Yes!
But, let us not forget the top of the gas tank that doubled as the floor of the trunk.
And, the old V-8 Mustangs had only marginally better brakes and suspensions than the six-cylinder models.
Most V8 Mustangs were not fast, either. They typically had a 2 bbl carb and a 3 speed AT.
Mustang started the category âPony Carâ followed by Barracuda (Valient based), Charger (fastback on a Coronet), Marlin (fastback on an Ambassador), and the GM twins Camaro/Firebird which I assume used a lot of Nova parts.
Muscle cars were midsize cars with large engines started by the '64 Pontiac GTO.
Granted after the first few years big engines were added to pony cars.
Jeff Dunham referred to his Firebird as a muscle car, I commented no, it is a pony carâŚhe conceded that point.
Actually, the Barracuda came out on April 1, followed by the Mustang on April 17, 1964âŚbut the Mustang was the huge hit.
The Terminator could easily go 150 MPH.
Easily? I canât find any top speeds listed for the Terminator Mustangs, just the 390 hp / 390 ft-lb power ratings. My 420 hp 2013 will get close to 150 but wonât top it. That would lead me to believe the Terminator wonât top 150 OR it was rated lower than actual HP. Naa, that wouldnât happen would it?