The Ford Mustang has had a long and illustrious career as a movie performer. Below, we list what we think are the best movie Mustangs to appear on the silver screen in Hollywood history.
The Mustang: 1964 Convertible
The Movie: Goldfinger (1964)
Before the Mustang became a household name, it debuted in one of the most acclaimed James Bond films, Goldfinger. The same year the first Mustang got released to the public, a white, Mustang convertible made its film debut chasing Bond and his favored Aston Martin DB5.
The 1964 audiences may not have realized it then, but they were witnessing the debut of a car that would go down in automotive and Hollywood history!
The Mustang: 1968 GT Fastback
The Movie: Bullitt (1968)
No discussion of movie Mustangs in Hollywood history is complete without mentioning the dark highland green 1968 Mustang GT Fastback from 1968’s Bullitt. In many minds, Steve McQueen’s Bullitt is the best car-chase movie in cinema history, and one of the reasons it’s so thrilling is the eye-popping performance of Bullitt’s trusty Mustang.
With the high-octane chase sequences of McQueen and the Mustang pursuing bad guys through the streets of San Francisco, the movie was a smash hit that instantly made the 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback one of the most iconic classic cars made popular by Hollywood.
The Mustang: 1967 Shelby GT500 (AKA: Eleanor)
The Movie: Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
While the original Gone in Sixty Seconds was a hit at its time and featured a stunningly beautiful 1973 Ford SportsRoof Mustang, the RestoMod version of the 1967 Shelby Mustang used in the remake has a much larger legacy. With the nickname “Eleanor” in the movie, the 1967 Shelby GT500 leaped off the screen with its innovative modifications like a molded-in side exhaust, fiberglass hood, PIAA lights, and more.
The Mustang was such a hit with Mustang owners that it inspired a cottage industry of Eleanor replicas to this day, with the eponymous Carroll Shelby even partaking by designing his special model, the Shelby GT500 E (as in Eleanor).
The Mustang: 2007 Shelby GT500
The Movie: I Am Legend (2007)
Another Shelby Mustang that made its mark in movie history is the red and white 2007 Shelby GT500 that made a brief but memorable appearance in 2007’s I Am Legend. In the film, Will Smith plays the presumed last man in New York City and occasionally has some fun in the deserted Big Apple by driving his souped-up 2007 Shelby Mustang around the barren streets.
It makes for a memorable scene, as every Mustang owner related to the dream of driving their Mustang around an abandoned New York City like a giant playground!
The Mustang: 1969 Mach 1
The Movie: John Wick (2014)
While the unfortunate fate of his trusty dog (spoiler alert) became infamous, John Wick’s 1969 Mustang Mach 1 catches the eye of the film’s villain and sets the events of the rest of the movie (and future films) on course. It’s hard to blame the antagonist’s interest in Wick’s car, as the 1969 Mach 1 is a gorgeous machine beloved by Keanu Reeves’ title character.
While the Mustang doesn’t feature much in the first film, it returns in an action-packed John Wick: Chapter 2 scene when Wick rescues it from thieves, ultimately using the Mustang as a weapon that leaves the car a disheveled, battered wreck.
