1968 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT KR500

1968 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT KR500

Fans of classic Mustangs and fans of dramatic movie car chases will be saddened to hear that Peter Yates, the British director of films like Breaking Away and Bullitt, has passed away at the age of 82 after battling an illness.

Bullitt, of course, features one of the most notable car chases in film history, in which a 1968 Mustang features prominently. Video below.

Yates' passing is sad, but that doesn't mean Mustang fans and film buffs can't raise a glass in a toast to the director who helped create an iconic scene of automotive derring-do on the streets of San Francisco. Hollywood filming techniques have advanced alot since the late 1960s, but no matter how exciting on-screen chases become, there will never be another Bullitt.

 

[Jalopnik, Chicago Tribune]