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Life Hack 101 – if lemons fall from a tree – you make lemonade and overcharge your neighbors. When life handed us the keys to a 480-horsepower muscle car, then you better believe we sold our neighbors on what it was like to be the badass on the block. And that was before we started the engine.

As a tribute to the iconic 1968 classic with Steven McQueen, this Dark Highland Green is only one of two color the Bullitt can be had in. Starting at $47,590, the Bullitt is the highest priced Mustang before climbing into the GT350. With a standard 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8 engine, a six-speed manual transmission and upgraded performance with 480-horsepower over the standard 460 – the Mustang Bullitt is definitely something you wouldn’t want your cheating lover to driver.

What makes the Bullitt unique to the Mustang family is the little touches – all the Mustang badges have been removed except for the wheel caps and the illuminated Mustang logo in the mirror that shines to the ground. They then add a subtle Bullitt gas cap on the back of the trunk, a Bullitt emblem in the steering wheel, unique interior green stitching, a standard 12.3-inch customizable LCD instrument cluster and the iconic que ball on the gear lever.

Going above and beyond however the visualization touches, the Bullitt takes the Mustang into another realm of performance. Not only is the 480-horsepower exclusive to the Bullitt, but it also features the new Black NitroPlate active valve performance exhaust system that’ll send your dates underpants flying out the window when the exhaust backfires the sound that could only mimic a box of firecrackers exploding. Not only that, the Bullitt features a new Open Air Induction System and bringing in performance from the Shelby GT350, Ford incorporated the same intake manifold and power train control module for maximum performance. To sum that up, the Bullitt pulls out a whopping 0-60 in less than four and half seconds and to a top speed of 163 miles per hour. That’s nearly one tenth of a second slower than the 526-horsepower Shelby GT350.

The Bullitt carries all the same fundamentals as the standard Mustang GT – with different settings for the steering, suspension, and even exhaust – we’re able to control exactly how we’d want our Mustang to perform – comfort suspension, sport steering, track exhaust. Or, if we prefer to the let the computer sort out the work, we have the option to choose between Normal, Wet/Snow, Sport +, Track, and Drag Strip Mode – each mode caters exactly to the unique clever needs it’s being used in. For instance, Drag Strip Mode stiffens the suspension so that there is no give or comfort while stiffening up the steering for better straight-line control. Track Mode disengages traction control so for the sake of not becoming the next YouTube sensation, we’ll skip that. Sport Mode brings the best of best worlds optimizing energetic performance while maintain a level of comfort through the $1695 MagneRide Damping System, though while the exhaust is still rambunctious, it’s not quite as invigorating as Track or Drag.

Based on driving characteristics the Mustang will perform exactly how one would expect it to. Sport and Track modes explicit the dynamic-ness of the enhanced steering precision. Track is more aggressive with precise responsiveness and a tighter agenda allowing for easier control. Sport mode encourages a little willingness on an open road – the steering is lighter than in Track and ultimately engages a more excited, spirited driving style without the aggressiveness. And at the end of a long day, the last thing you’d want is an exploding missile launcher tearing up the parking garage – simply left in Normal Mode with quiet exhaust engaged and the drive home will feel like you’re driving a Lincoln Continental – with an extra pedal.

Because the Bullitt is the top trimmed alpha of the Mustang group, there is no shortage of comfort amenities. Leather fills the cabin like an upscale man cave. With the $2100 Bullitt Electronics Package, we get the Bang & Olufsen premium speakers that sound just as good as the gurgling exhaust, large touch-screen infotainment system with Navigation & Apply CarPlay/Android Auto, as well as Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Traffic detection. Just as such, all the fundamentals are here – the seats are comfortable for long journeys – if you wish for better support, $1595 RECARO seats are available and of course nobody over the age of 10 can fit in the back seat.

Driving the Bullitt every day, was like getting on a ride at Six Flags over and over and over again. We know what’s going to happen, but we just can’t get enough. This is a car that encourages bad decision making and feel no regret or remorse. Its intimidating stature and vigorous noise canon make the Bullitt an iconic, impulsive, performance sports car that we seem to never want to get off the ride from. Unless it’s to fuel up, because at 15 mpg, boy is she a thirsty girl.

VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS

Model: 2019 FORD MUSTANG BULLITT
Starting Price: $46,595
As Tested: $51,290

PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 5.0-LITER V-8
Horsepower/Torque: 480-HORSEPOWER / 420LB-FT TORQUE
Transmission: 6-SPEED MANUAL
Fuel Economy: EP RATED: 15-CITY / 25-HWY / 18-COMBINED
(AS TESTED: 14.7 MPG COMBINED)
Fuel Range: 250 MILES
0-60 MPH: ±4.5 SECONDS