45 Years of the Ford Mustang in Movies, Over 500 Films

The 45th anniversary Ford Mustang celebration has come to an end with the legacy of the Mustang stronger than ever.  The Mustang legacy has always been strong carried on in several different ways with one being through the movies as it has done since it's first appearance in the James Bond movie "Goldfinger".  Since 1964 the Ford Mustang has appeared in over 500 movies and hundreds more television programs.  Probably the most memorable film the Ford Mustang appeared in is Bullitt.  Steve McQueen starred in the movie as Lt. Frank Bullitt driving his highland green 1968 Mustang GT 390.  His nine- minute plus unscripted chase scene through the streets of San Francisco has long been revered as the best chase ever in a movie.

Other memorable movie roles the Ford Mustang has to it's credit include the original Gone in Sixty Seconds (1974) with it's 40-minute chase scene where they destroy 93 cars.  The remake of Gone in Sixty Seconds stars Nicolas Cage trying to steal 50 cars in two-days with the unicorn car being 'Eleanor", a silver and black 1968 Shelby GT500.  More recent movies include Hollywood Homicide where Harrison Ford and Josh Harnett drove around in a 2003 Saleen S281, War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise and his 1966 Shelby GT 350, Reno 911 with the police cars being 2006 Mustangs and the latest being I Am Legend starring Will Smith who drives a red 2007 Shelby GT500 during the opening scene through the deserted streets of New York City.

Below you will find several movies the Mustang has been in with a small description for each. Enjoy...

45 Years of the Mustang in Movies:

From the time of its introduction at the World’s Fair in New York four and a half decades ago, the iconic pony car has appeared in more than 500 movies and hundreds of television programs.

Ever since 1964 when the Mustang appeared in the Bond film Goldfinger, filmmakers have often used the Mustang to symbolize the quintessential American cool. In the 1968 film Bullitt, Steve McQueen played a hardened police detective chasing down killers in a 1968 Mustang GT390.

But the Mustang can also be aspirational. In the 2007 film The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, Freeman’s character is dying and lists “Drive a Shelby Mustang” as one of the things he longs to do before he kicks the proverbial bucket.

Here are just a few of the Mustang’s memorable moments on the silver screen:

Goldfinger (1964) – This Bond film gets high Mustang marks for being the first movie to show off Ford’s new sporty car, a white 1964½ convertible driven by a beautiful woman assassin. After a brief chase in the Swiss Alps, Sean Connery in his Aston Marin DB5 borrows a trick from a chariot racer in Ben Hur to shred the Mustang’s tires and its rocker panel.

Bullitt (1968) – Steve McQueen is the hardened police detective who drives a 1968 Mustang GT390 in a nine-minute, 42-second car chase against killers in a black Dodge charger through the hilly streets in and around San Francisco.

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – As James Bond, Sean Connery eludes police pursuit in a red 1971 Mustang Mach I fastback on two wheels to squeeze down a narrow alley in downtown Las Vegas. The car tilts up on the passenger side wheels entering the alley and exits the alley on the driver’s side wheels, a pretty neat trick.

Gone in 60 Seconds (1974) – For slam-bang action, it’s hard to beat this B-movie about an insurance-man-turned-car-thief forced to steal 48 cars which have been given women’s names to foil eavesdroppers. The second half of the movie is a 40-minute car chase that destroys 93 cars, leaving the getaway vehicle, an orange 1973 Mustang Mach I, much worse for wear.