After Bullitt finished filming, the car was sold to a studio executive in Los Angeles, who kept it briefly before selling it, coincidentally, to a police detective. The officer shipped the car to New York and kept it for about three and a half years before placing a for-sale ad in the back of Road & Track magazine in 1974. His $6,000 asking price was somewhat steep, but Robert Kiernan, a New Jersey insurance executive, and Mustang fan went out to look at it. He bought it for his wife, Robbie to use as a daily driver.
The Kiernans kept the car a secret, mainly to ward off thieves and gawkers. Steve McQueen found out that the Kiernans owned the car and he tried to buy it but insisted that the price had to be right. Apparently, it never was right. McQueen never did buy the car.
Robert and Robbie’s son, Sean Kiernan decided to sell the car in 2020.
It stayed in the garage for decades after it was driven by his mother, Robbie, back in the day to St. Vincent’s parish, where she taught third grade. Her husband took a train to work in New York City. This month, Robbie Kiernan went to the auction with her 7-week-old grandchild.
The car will be inducted into the Historic Vehicle Association roster this year—kind of like the National Register of Historic Places, but for cars. It’s only the 21st car to be so honored.
“I am OK with any price. But I would like it to be the most valuable Mustang ever,” he said… he succeeded.
Before he sold the Mustang, he brought it home in October for his mother’s birthday and put it in the garage where the car had been hidden for four decades.
“I had never prepped the car to sell, so I changed all the fluids and did all the car stuff to it,” Kiernan said. “My sister, my mom, my wife, Sam’s dad came down from Dearborn and sat in the car. That car had been in the garage forever. It was her spot. I think everybody cried at some point or another.”
They all said goodbye to the car….But… hello to 3.74 million dollars to an unknown buyer on January 10, 2020.
Thanks to everyone who has read my “Where Is” posts…here are the rest:
- Where is…Bob Dylan’s Guitar He Played at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival?
- Where is…Captain Kirk’s original command Chair?
- Where is…Rosebud from Citizen Kane Now?
- Where is… The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Car Now?
- Where is…The Kennedy Car Now?
- Where is…The Original Death Star model from Star Wars now?
- Where is…The Original King Kong model now?
- Where is…The Partridge Family Bus?
- Where is…The Robot from Lost In Space?
- Where is…The Shark from Jaws?
- Where is…The Starship Enterprise Model Now?
- Where is…The Time Machine from the 1960 movie?
This turned out to be a great investment. I remember skipping school with my buddies to go see this in the movie theater.
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Your list of “Where is”s confirms that you should’ve been a detective. Excellent.
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Thanks Bruce…Now where is that Holy Grail?
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Dan Brown knows.
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I remember that!
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everyone knows… you just have to get past that killer rabbit to see it!
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LOL
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That is awesome. What a cool story.
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That would be a cool car. Steve just didn’t want to be ripped off becasue he was a star…if he only knew
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If he were still alive, he would freak.
I like Eleanor on Gone In Sixty Seconds.
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YES…guess what? I saw and touched Eleanor! Are we talking about the same Eleanor? 1974? It was in the movie theater and I got to see it and touch it while going to see the movie….not the remake of course.
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S***. I didn’t realize Cage’s movie was a remake. Damn. Head up ass. I like the Gold Eleanor but, I was referring to Cage’s Eleanor. THAT is a badass car.
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It is…watch the other one when you can. It is a B movie but cool. It has real policemen and real hookers in it. The car is pretty awesome also.
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I love writing these….better than music at times…they are harder but they are a lot of fun
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Oh to see that car (and ride in it.) It really needs to be in a museum, not hidden in someone’s garage. It’s a cultural artifact.
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I agree! I hope who ever bought it will do that. What would Steve say to that much money? He would have flipped.
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I still miss Steve. What a rotten shame he’s gone. Yes, he would have flipped over that #
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Haven’t ever seen that movie, but know of the car’s fame. Wonder what 20 cars made that historic list before it?
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