Modern-day Bullitt unleashed

Steve McQueen immortalised the Highland Green Mustang GT 390 Fastback he drove (yes, he did the driving himself) in the 1968 thriller Bullitt, and now Ford has recreated the icon with a modern-day take on the classic 'Stang.

The Blue Oval has deliberately timed the launch of the 2008 Mustang Bullitt to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Hollywood blockbuster it's named after.

However, while McQueen had 390 cubic inches (6392cc) worth of V8 to call upon as he chased down the baddies in their Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum, modern-day McQueen wannabes will have to make do with just 4.6 litres of bent-eight.

The 4.6-litre V8 ekes out 232kW and 440Nm, outputs that are healthy, but by no means earth shattering. Among the Mustang Bullitt’s engine tweaks are an 'open-element' air filter and an 'adaptive spark ignition system'.

Ford says this system can sense, within a few seconds, what type of fuel is being injected into the motor and adjusts the spark to provide maximum torque at any given speed. The company claims this liberates as much as 14Nm extra between 1000 and 4000rpm.

The engine's redline has been boosted by 250rpm to 6500rpm, and top speed is bumped up to 242km/h.

The V8 is hooked up to a Tremec five-speed manual transmission, and the gearlever is topped with a polished aluminum shift ball designed specifically for the 2008 Bullitt.

Other mods to the Bullitt include a rear axle borrowed from the GT500 -- this has a 3.73:1 final drive ratio. The suspension gets revised spring and damping rates along with a lowered rear ride height for improved handling -- just the thing for all those San Francisco 'yumps'.

There's also a tower-to-tower brace designed specifically for the Bullitt to lend additional torsional and lateral stiffness for sharper cornering characteristics. The brace is emblazoned with a unique serial number for each Bullitt.

The original 1968 Mustang’s stealth-like appearance wasn't necessarily intentional. In typical Hollywood fashion, the movie crew removed all exterior badges and logos from the car -- including the iconic pony badge on the grille.

The 2008 Mustang Bullitt recalls the original movie car in painstaking detail -- right down to the dark green paint and lack of exterior badges, scoops and spoilers.

The only visible identification is the word "Bullitt" dropped into a gun-sight graphic in the center of the faux petrol filler cap on the decklid.

The 2008 Bullitt arrives in US and Canada dealerships early next year, with a starting price that equates to $33,160, which may be a reasonable investment as production will be limited to 7700 units.