The 1968 Steve McQueen film BULLITT made history for the unforgettable live car chase, as a 68 Dodge Charger and a 68 Mustang GT battle it out at speeds in excess of 100 mph through the streets of San Francisco. ‘I always felt a motor racing sequence, shot as a street chase, could be very exciting because you have reality to work with, like bouncing off parked cars,’ McQueen recounted to Motor Trend magazine. ‘An audience digs watching somebody do something that I’m sure almost all of them would like to do,’ he concluded when asked of the now famous scene. An avid racer of both bikes and cars, McQueen initially did his own driving until he overshot a turn, smoking the tyres, and was then replaced by the stunt team. His efforts remain in the final cut.
In the Motor Trend interview stunt coordinator Carey Loftin recalled McQueen was determined to have the ‘best car chase ever done’, advising the stunt team that money was no object. The scene was shot as live action, using original sound, although additional tyre screeching was added as recording technology at the time failed to capture it.
