Kurt Lipanovich's Dream-Build Coyote-Powered 1968 Ford Mustang Bullitt-Tribute Restomod
There’s no denying the 1968 Ford Mustang fastback driven by Steve McQueen and his famed chase scene in the movie Bullitt has left an indelible mark on not only Ford and its legions of fans, but on the entire enthusiast world itself. That was certainly the case with Kurt Lipanovich, who could never get the Bullitt Mustang out of his mind from the day he saw it. It was not until many years later that Kurt finally made his dream-build come true via restomodding and Coyote power from Ford Performance.
Kurt’s Mustang Story:
“The story behind my car is simply that I have loved the Bullitt Mustang since I was a kid and first watched the movie with my dad. My dad was a hardcore Ford guy and my first car was a ’71 Mustang coupe. I also owned a ’68 hardtop.
“I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, moved to the Midwest in 1990 and got into law enforcement. I have loved the whole Bullitt look for some 40 years and finally decided to have one built. I planned the build for about 10 years, read a lot of books, did research online, etc., all to try and figure out exactly what I wanted.
“Just over four years ago I found a good 1968 Mustang fastback shell in Georgia, bought it and trailered it home. Then I looked around for someone to handle the build. Frankly, I had about given up when a co-worker put me in touch with a friend of his who had his Camaro worked on at Suburban Rod & Custom Classics (SRC) in Merriam, Kansas. I met with SRC’s Shelly and Jason, liked what they had to say and dropped the car off in September of 2016 … and got it back last fall. The results are beyond what I could have imagined.
“It looks spectacular. Additionally, watching and being a part of the build was a blast. I wouldn’t have been possible without Shelly, Jason and Ray from SRC, because they are the ones who built this car into what it is today. Shelly is an owner, Jason would probably be called the foreman, and Ray is the guy (along with Rick, who did the body and paint work) that put it all together.
“As to why a Coyote? Well, I essentially wanted the classic look of the Bullitt with a completely modern car underneath. The build includes Heidts suspension front and rear, A/C, modern electronic dash, and a bunch of extra details too numerous to mention. And just for the record, it's actually a 5.2 Coyote (a variation of the Ford Performance M-6007-A52XS engine). And with that came assistance from the Ford Performance Tech Line and a huge amount of help from Michael Robins at Ford Performance Parts. Thanks to all!”
