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Just pulled this from Compuserve...Looks like they made a major mistake in listing it as a 2002!!! Either way, I like the article:
#1 Mustang Bullitt GT
The hottest factory-built 2002 Mustang may not be the Mustang to get. Sure, the 320-hp, 4-cam SVT Cobra is plenty nice--and plenty potent. The Cobra has a 7,000 rpm redline (impressive for a domestic V-8), and is the quickest/fastest production 'Stang that Ford sells at the moment. It's also a limited-issue piece that has those cool snake badges on the fender. But it's also almost $30,000 for the coupe--a princely $32,605 for the convertible--not counting the inevitable dealer markup.
Meanwhile, you may have noticed that Ford has brought out a "middleweight" version of the Mustang V-8 that has more power than a regular GT--and a suspension set up that may make it the equal (or so close as to make it a dead heat) of the Cobra in terms of handling prowess--plus upgraded brakes (Brembos all around, with red powder-coated calipers identical to the Cobra's), retro-style 17-inch "Torq-Thrust" wheels, meaty Goodyear tires, etc.--all for several thousand dollars less than the Cobra.
This new 'Stang, of course, is the Bullitt GT--a special edition Mustang commemorating the classic Steve McQueen movie in which the actor/driver tore up the streets of San Franciso in a mean-looking '68 fastback coupe. At $3,695 over the price of the base 2002 GT ($22,760), an '02 Bullitt can cost as little as $26,455--which is not a bad deal at all when viewed against the Cobra's $30k-ish MSRP.
There are a couple of angles here. One, while the Cobra clearly has the bigger gun, courtesy of its deep-breathing DOHC 4-valve/4-cam engine (the GT and Bullitt use the less rev-happy single cam/2-valve version of Ford's 4.6 liter V-8), the money you save by choosing a Bullitt instead of a Cobra could be put into a readily available, easy-to-bolt-on Paxton or Vortech supercharger--which would boost the output of the Bullitt's 265-hp engine well into the 300s, probably to around 340-plus. This is more than enough to painfully thrash a stone-stock Cobra--probably by a comfortable margin, too. And you'd still have money in your pocket to pay for insurance, taxes, gas, tickets--whatever.
Then there's the understated coolness of the Bullitt package itself.
The car looks all-business: sharp and purposeful--with a suspension dropped 3/4 of an inch over the stock GTs. Note the absence of a rear decklid spoiler--the only V-8 Mustang to not have one of these now-overused bolt-ons. It used to be that only serious performance machines had 'em. These days, every cheesy front-drive econo-car and sedan has a wing--and this fact has taken away from the ambiance considerably. No fog-lights in the Bullitt's front end, either--just the blackened-out vortex of that hairy-looking grille bearing down upon you in the rearview mirror. This impression of malevolence is heightened by the special hood scoop that's also unique to the Bullitt. (Too bad it doesn't actually work; it's there for cosmetic effect only.) Now that Cobras no longer have scoops at all, this actually renders the Bullitt the tougher-appearing of the two cars.
Mechanically, there have been small but significant improvements to the Bullitt's version of the 4.6-liter V-8, which at 265-hp is five horses stronger than the regular Mustang GT. A larger 57mm twin-bore throttle body (also the same as the Cobra's) has been fitted to a new intake manifold designed to bump-up the low-end torque of this engine--which makes it feel stronger coming off the line. The exhaust is tuned for that burbling, blap-blap-blap muscle car sound--indeed, it was specifically set up to duplicate the tone of the pre-emissions wonderfulness of that 390-powered '68 fastback that McQueen used to defeat the Dodge Charger in the movie.
I can tell you that the Bullitt will leave a solid 2-4 feet of rubber on the 1-2 shift, as befitting an American V-8 muscle coupe. It actually feels just as good (maybe better) than the Cobra, stone stock--even if the Cobra does have more absolute power. This could be a function of the fact that to get the Cobra to do its thing, you have to wind it out to 4,750-rpm (where the twin cam engine produces its peak torque output of 317-lbs.-ft.), while the Bullitt's single-cam 4.6 liter engine makes almost as much torque (305-lbs.-ft.) almost 1,000 rpm's sooner (4,000 rpm). The Bullitt's power peak comes earlier, too--265-hp at 5,000 rpm vs. the Cobra's 320-hp at 6,000 rpm.
The result is that the Bullitt feels like it has more grunt in the lower and mid-ranges--because it does. Add a torque-multiplying supercharger and this thing would be able to lay rubber until the cows come home, just like the big-block bruisers of days gone by.
Add to these possibilities and inducements the fact that the Bullitt also comes with much of the handling and braking equipment that makes the Cobra a formidable car, and the whole deal becomes even more of a draw. In addition to the Brembo high capacity brakes and large wheel/tire combo, Bullitts also get fitted with Tokico struts and shocks, subframe connectors (to improve chassis rigidity), revised springs and stabilizer bars--plus cool trim pieces such as stainless steel pedals, a brushed aluminum shifter for the five speed (no automatic with this car, just like the Cobra--sorry), plus modfied C-pillars and a race-themed aluminum fuel filler door.
The interior is similarly fitted out with unique-to-this-car seats and embossed sill plates, plus a gauge package with special white backlighting. If Ford had seen fit to throw in the six-speed used in the competition-only 5.4-liter Cobra R, the Bullitt would be perfect. As it is, it's damn good--good enough, in fact, to challenge the 4.6 liter SVT Cobra's status as the best street performance Mustang you can buy right now. Get it in "McQueen green" and you are ready to rock!
The only downside is that--at least initially--Ford will only build 6,500 Bullitts. Hopefully, however, mass acclaim will prompt Ford to make the Bullitt (or the essentials of the package) an ongoing option. Provided the SVT Cobra doesn't feel too snake-bitten by its new in-house rival.
--also,they are posting the "concept" photos instead of production pics...interesting---
#1 Mustang Bullitt GT
The hottest factory-built 2002 Mustang may not be the Mustang to get. Sure, the 320-hp, 4-cam SVT Cobra is plenty nice--and plenty potent. The Cobra has a 7,000 rpm redline (impressive for a domestic V-8), and is the quickest/fastest production 'Stang that Ford sells at the moment. It's also a limited-issue piece that has those cool snake badges on the fender. But it's also almost $30,000 for the coupe--a princely $32,605 for the convertible--not counting the inevitable dealer markup.
Meanwhile, you may have noticed that Ford has brought out a "middleweight" version of the Mustang V-8 that has more power than a regular GT--and a suspension set up that may make it the equal (or so close as to make it a dead heat) of the Cobra in terms of handling prowess--plus upgraded brakes (Brembos all around, with red powder-coated calipers identical to the Cobra's), retro-style 17-inch "Torq-Thrust" wheels, meaty Goodyear tires, etc.--all for several thousand dollars less than the Cobra.
This new 'Stang, of course, is the Bullitt GT--a special edition Mustang commemorating the classic Steve McQueen movie in which the actor/driver tore up the streets of San Franciso in a mean-looking '68 fastback coupe. At $3,695 over the price of the base 2002 GT ($22,760), an '02 Bullitt can cost as little as $26,455--which is not a bad deal at all when viewed against the Cobra's $30k-ish MSRP.
There are a couple of angles here. One, while the Cobra clearly has the bigger gun, courtesy of its deep-breathing DOHC 4-valve/4-cam engine (the GT and Bullitt use the less rev-happy single cam/2-valve version of Ford's 4.6 liter V-8), the money you save by choosing a Bullitt instead of a Cobra could be put into a readily available, easy-to-bolt-on Paxton or Vortech supercharger--which would boost the output of the Bullitt's 265-hp engine well into the 300s, probably to around 340-plus. This is more than enough to painfully thrash a stone-stock Cobra--probably by a comfortable margin, too. And you'd still have money in your pocket to pay for insurance, taxes, gas, tickets--whatever.
Then there's the understated coolness of the Bullitt package itself.
The car looks all-business: sharp and purposeful--with a suspension dropped 3/4 of an inch over the stock GTs. Note the absence of a rear decklid spoiler--the only V-8 Mustang to not have one of these now-overused bolt-ons. It used to be that only serious performance machines had 'em. These days, every cheesy front-drive econo-car and sedan has a wing--and this fact has taken away from the ambiance considerably. No fog-lights in the Bullitt's front end, either--just the blackened-out vortex of that hairy-looking grille bearing down upon you in the rearview mirror. This impression of malevolence is heightened by the special hood scoop that's also unique to the Bullitt. (Too bad it doesn't actually work; it's there for cosmetic effect only.) Now that Cobras no longer have scoops at all, this actually renders the Bullitt the tougher-appearing of the two cars.
Mechanically, there have been small but significant improvements to the Bullitt's version of the 4.6-liter V-8, which at 265-hp is five horses stronger than the regular Mustang GT. A larger 57mm twin-bore throttle body (also the same as the Cobra's) has been fitted to a new intake manifold designed to bump-up the low-end torque of this engine--which makes it feel stronger coming off the line. The exhaust is tuned for that burbling, blap-blap-blap muscle car sound--indeed, it was specifically set up to duplicate the tone of the pre-emissions wonderfulness of that 390-powered '68 fastback that McQueen used to defeat the Dodge Charger in the movie.
I can tell you that the Bullitt will leave a solid 2-4 feet of rubber on the 1-2 shift, as befitting an American V-8 muscle coupe. It actually feels just as good (maybe better) than the Cobra, stone stock--even if the Cobra does have more absolute power. This could be a function of the fact that to get the Cobra to do its thing, you have to wind it out to 4,750-rpm (where the twin cam engine produces its peak torque output of 317-lbs.-ft.), while the Bullitt's single-cam 4.6 liter engine makes almost as much torque (305-lbs.-ft.) almost 1,000 rpm's sooner (4,000 rpm). The Bullitt's power peak comes earlier, too--265-hp at 5,000 rpm vs. the Cobra's 320-hp at 6,000 rpm.
The result is that the Bullitt feels like it has more grunt in the lower and mid-ranges--because it does. Add a torque-multiplying supercharger and this thing would be able to lay rubber until the cows come home, just like the big-block bruisers of days gone by.
Add to these possibilities and inducements the fact that the Bullitt also comes with much of the handling and braking equipment that makes the Cobra a formidable car, and the whole deal becomes even more of a draw. In addition to the Brembo high capacity brakes and large wheel/tire combo, Bullitts also get fitted with Tokico struts and shocks, subframe connectors (to improve chassis rigidity), revised springs and stabilizer bars--plus cool trim pieces such as stainless steel pedals, a brushed aluminum shifter for the five speed (no automatic with this car, just like the Cobra--sorry), plus modfied C-pillars and a race-themed aluminum fuel filler door.
The interior is similarly fitted out with unique-to-this-car seats and embossed sill plates, plus a gauge package with special white backlighting. If Ford had seen fit to throw in the six-speed used in the competition-only 5.4-liter Cobra R, the Bullitt would be perfect. As it is, it's damn good--good enough, in fact, to challenge the 4.6 liter SVT Cobra's status as the best street performance Mustang you can buy right now. Get it in "McQueen green" and you are ready to rock!
The only downside is that--at least initially--Ford will only build 6,500 Bullitts. Hopefully, however, mass acclaim will prompt Ford to make the Bullitt (or the essentials of the package) an ongoing option. Provided the SVT Cobra doesn't feel too snake-bitten by its new in-house rival.
--also,they are posting the "concept" photos instead of production pics...interesting---
