The Detroit Newspapers's view

SAN FRANCISCO — The biggest problem with the 2008 Mustang Bullitt is that Ford Motor Co. will make only 7,700 of them.

So that means come early next year only 7,000 Americans and 700 Canadians will have the chance to buy the best Mustang in Ford’s stable of ponies. Which begs the question: Why do Canadians get any?

In the Mustang hierarchy of horsepower and price — where the high-end Ford Shelby Cobra GT 500 King of the Road rules and the plain ol’ V-6 ‘Stang, still an excellent car, starts at the bottom — the Bullitt falls somewhere in middle: Right below the Shelby GT and right above the GT convertible.

But it’s at the top of my list. It takes the best of all the Mustangs and melds them into Highland Green iron and then names it after a classic movie staring Steve McQueen, perhaps the coolest tough guy in the history of cool, tough guys. While I still refuse to wear a turtleneck like McQueen, I would gladly take the car with the namesake that redefined car chases.

Really, the 2008 Bullitt comes out as the movie celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, but it is better than the movie, which has a plot line slower than a Yugo.

By the time I got the Bullitt on an open road outside of the clutch-burning, traffic-filled hills of San Francisco, I knew it was special. Two days of driving it along the Pacific coast, through winding roads and open highways, confirmed my gut reaction.

Lean, powerful and extremely smooth, this Bullitt seems based more on McQueen’s character than the modified 1968 Mustang GT 390 that the renegade cop muscled around in Rice-a-Roni’s hometown.

First of all, there was no 1968 Mustang Bullitt, but 40 years ago, there was a character named “Bullitt.” And he was as cool under pressure as this car.

Race it through twisty turns and it glides effortless with hardly any body roll. Push it hard and feel the suspension press down and gobble up your aggression on the road. The steering is precise and the power is pure but not overwhelming.

Staying true to roots The Bullitt, with a $31,075 MSRP, begins life as a Ford Mustang GT built in Flat Rock.

But Ford has changed a number of things on this car, tweaking the parts that need it and leaving alone parts that do not.

Ford, for example, used different shocks and struts to give the Bullitt a stiffer ride, but carefully avoided making it so tight that the ride becomes one jarring axle hop after the next, which the track-ready suspension of the Shelby GT does.

Ford changed the car’s rear axle, using the Shelby GT 500 King of the Road’s limited-slip rear axle with a different gear setup. Between that and the new springs, which lower the car 6 mm, the Bullitt distributes its power much better than the tire spinning GT500, which leaves you whiplashed if you pop the clutch too quickly.

You can still burn rubber with the Bullitt; just turn off the traction control and pretend you know how to torque steer before calling your insurance agent. The car’s grace may be able to handle a top speed of 151 mph, but can you?

Engineers modified the 4.6-liter V-8 by adding Ford Racing technology’s cold-air intake to boost the car’s power to 315 horses and 325 pound-feet of torque — for what feels like a perfect amount of power. For the mechanically inclined, the boost in power comes from the fact that cold air is denser than warm air, so it can hold more fuel in a cylinder, creating a bigger explosion — meaning more power.

Engineers kept the GT’s easy-on-the-leg clutch and avoided throwing in a Hurst shifter, which can be clumsy for changing gears because of the arm strength needed. Instead, they mated the car’s engine to a manual five-speed that’s easy to push through the gears with short throws.

For a muscle car, the Bullitt gets decent mileage, hitting 23 mpg on the highway and 15 mpg in the city. But if you’re interested in fuel economy, what are you doing reading a review on the Bullitt? This car goes fast and you’ll never drive it like you’re taking an EPA test; you’ll drive it like you’re chasing assassins in a Dodge — and that won’t help your mileage numbers.

Plus, this car looks fantastic and here’s where attention to the movie paid off.

Ford says it used digital images from “Bullitt” to stay true to the looks of McQueen’s Mustang.

Unlike today, when movie companies seek out carmakers for product placements, the people behind “Bullitt” removed all of Ford’s badging. Even the pony on the grille was pulled off the ’68 fastback.

And Ford recreated the original, making the ’08 Bullitt the only horseless Mustang, giving the grille a satin aluminum trim. The only spot where you find the word Bullitt on the exterior is on the trunk — in a huge, circular badge. The car’s entire exterior is subtle. Most people won’t know what you’ve got when you drive up — so you’ll have to tell them.

The special 18-inch aluminum wheels also remain subdued. Even the carbon metallic brake pads and calibers are painted gray so they blend in. McQueen played an undercover cop in the movie, and this car plays an undercover beast in real life. It’s coolness personified in a car.

Pure McQueen Inside, however, the Bullitt stands out. The interior is simple and clean. A hand-machined aluminum dash and instrument panel is what strikes you first. Aluminum rings outline the air vents and silver gear shifter replaces the typical leather knob. The clean lines and comfortable charcoal black leather seats add sophistication without being flashy. Even the gun sight design on the speedometer feels pure McQueen.

There are areas that could get a gig here or there. The back seat is cramped and the car is not the quietest when driving 80 mph on the highway. The center console mounted emergency brake pressed against my knee while driving.

But those are pointless gripes that Steve McQueen would never raise.

And neither will I.

In fact, the thing I liked most about the Bullitt was the way Ford tuned the exhaust note.

It is tenor and powerful. It’s McQueen’s voice in the morning after a long night of whiskey and cigarettes.

Scott Burgess is the auto critic at The Detroit News. He can be reached at sburgess@detnews.com.