Wednesday, June 3, 2009

In our garage: 2009 Ford Mustang Bullitt

A new test car magically showed up in our garage. This suave looking guy in a tweed jacket and blue turtleneck tossed us the keys to his green mustang and asked us to keep an eye on it. He said he had to go take care of some baddies in a black Dodge Charger.

So in case you missed our reference to the 1968 movie Bullitt staring the king of cool Steve McQueen. We're fortunate enough to have landed one of the absolute LAST 2009 Bullitt edition Mustang GTs left in the country.


Checking out the window sticker we have an order code 140A Premium GT Coupe in Highland Green Metallic. Standard fare includes the interior upgrad package, Sirius sat radio, ambient lighting, 18 inch gunmetal Bullitt Wheels, the rear spoiler delete option, GT security package, HID headlights, the Bullitt package which includes the interior upgrade machine finish, 3.73 ratio limited slip rear axle, the 18 inch Bullitt wheels, packed exhaust tips, and a foglightless and ponyless grille. Our car also comes equipped with the Shaker 1000 stereo system.

What isn't mentioned on the window sticker is the performance upgrades to the Bullitt. This includes a Ford Racing strut tower brace with a special Bullitt number plate bearing the logo, VIN, and serial number of the car. Ours is 6045. A Ford Racing cold air intake, exhaust system, lowered suspension, beefed up front brakes and Shelby rear brakes round out the mechanicals.

Moving inside we find a stunning machine turned finish to the aluminum dash accents, an aluminum short throw shifter, supple charcol leather seats with power adjustment for the driver with lumbar control, aluminum pedal covers, and a leather wrapped steering wheel direct from the Shelby GT500.

Turn the key and the 4.6 liter V8 roars to life sounding much like its 1968 movie counterpart. The V8 is rated at 325 HP, which is 10 more than a stock GTs 315HP. With the 3.73 rear end, the Bullitt can really get up and go and catch any fleeing bad guys in short time. We still haven't emptied the tank on it to see where we're averaging for miles per gallon. The on board computer is saying 16 so that's a little better than the 15 City / 23 Highway on the sticker.

Having driven the car for a week now, and having driven a stock 09 GT, a 2010 GT(more later), and a handful of other Mustangs including Shelby, Roush, and Saleen. I will say that the Bullitt offers the best bang for the buck. Our Bullitt tops out at $34,675 with the big ticket item being the Shaker 1000 at $1,295. You get a lot of performance goodies as standard equipment. Stay tuned for more updtates.

Monday, June 1, 2009

As official as it is going to get. General Motors files for bankruptcy

We're experiencing history folks. General Motors, the largest auto manufacturer and one of the worlds largest corporations has officially filed for bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court.

We are awaiting a press conference from President Barak Obama regarding GM, and we will bring updates as they become available.

We do know that Chairman Fritz Henderson WILL continue to lead GM through bankruptcy. The fate of Saturn, Hummer and Saab is still up in the air at this point. Going through bankruptcy, GM will carry Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC Truck. Hummer, Saturn, Saab and Pontiac will be either phased out or sold.

The New York Stock Exchange was showing GM stock valued at $.75 cents late last night with morning trading showin $.70, though it has steadily gone back up all morning. Currently it is trading at $.98 cents per share.