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BULLITT Mustang |
40 yr Tribute Model of Steve McQueen's 1968 Movie "Bullitt"
"Steve was very clear," adds his former production partner, Robert Releya.
"He always said that this movie was a western in which he would strap on a car like a gun belt."
"BULLITT 08.0901 ~ BUILT 0109.08"
Mustang Bullitt 2008, S/N 901 of 7000 US
Custom ordered 12.6.07 with HID Headlights & Active Alarm, Built 1.9.08, Delivered & purchased 2.6.08
Today I was in fear....
You know, I’ve been around a long time. I have my ups and downs and life’s curves and slides like many do. Sometimes I have broad shoulders and you can see up ahead and other times I get pretty puny shoulders and you can’t even see around the next bend. Been through all kinds of life’s weather from hot scorching sun that makes me melt to freezing ice and snow where the only way you can get traction for the day is to have fine cinders ground into your back. But I’ve never had a day like today. Today… I was in fear!
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It started earlier in the day when I heard it through the centervine that it was coming. Way up the line the bad vibes started where the center dots were poundin’ like a Morse code. “It’s coming doop doop, it’s coming doop doop, and it's mean and it's fast doop doop doop doop…” Man that’s all I felt over and over. Made me feel queasy ya know? Heck, it made the dirt stand up on my shoulders! Couldn't even enjoy a good cup of tar. I don’t know which was worse – the anticipation of it coming or when it actually got here and burned me. Yup, today I was in fear… fear I tell ya! And even though it’s over, I’m still quakin’ a bit and feel sick in my tar pit. But mark this day March 5th 2008. This is the day my partner and I finally got scorched and it was by a 4 treaded green machine with a 3 valve 8 sparker and 5 forward gears. |
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I am the Redwood Highway and my partner is the treacherous Smith River Canyon.
“Oh Red don’t take it so personal”, Smitty quipped. “We’ve held up a long time. Heck I remember back when you was just a dirt trail kid. Then in your teen years them powder monkey's came in and went a blastin' and gradin' and fillin' and layin' down everything from huge boulders to baby back rock. I tell folks they shaped the kid up pretty good. Then you came of age and got that shiny black top… greasier than Brylcreem! And dang if you didn’t have to go and get them racer stripes painted on jus' cause everbody else was doin' it!”, Smitty chuckled as he shook his head.
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“Yeah, but Smitty - we always win! We're the intimidators, not them!” Red stood all droopy in the shoulders as he lamented. “I mean lookit how you and me work together. I start up in the valley and slooowly funnel ‘em down to the canyon. Sure I give ‘em some hints with a few curves as the road closes in. I throw in a few passes and even a tunnel. You know, get ‘em gawkin’ at the scenery and let ‘em take the curves nice and fast. I throw ‘em some 45 curves that can easy stand 60 just to set ‘em up for what’s comin’. Besides they’re too busy thinkin’ about seein' the Pacific in an hour or so to ever think that we’re gonna try and throw ‘em off my back and down into you. Heh heh.” |
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Smitty agreed and complimented Red for what a fine job he’d done all these years. Perfect record even. Been a strong partnership.
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Red went on, “You know they’ve tried everything all these years from cars of all shapes & sizes, RV’s, plenty of Semi’s haulin’ doubles, even them foreign sport jobs. But where they start out so nice and easy at the top of the funnel, we always get ‘em in the choke down at the bottom! I just love seein’ them crazed headlights and those white wall knuckles! Ha Ha Ha! And I love the smell of them burnin’ shoes! Nuthin' beats that. But we ain't seen a thing like today’s machine! That green blur just took it and kept comin’ stronger. Seemed to even like it by the sound of them pipes!”
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Smitty said “I know kid, I saw it too. Even when we threw them 35 & 25’s at it! At least it learned we meant business, not like them other easy slacker roads. Got a bit of respect from it anyway. But it slammed down hard in 2nd and took out of it the other side like a cannonball! That thunder! That roar! It was just… fearsome. Dang thing's a menace to good roads everwhere! Oughta be against the law. Heck, we tried cliffs and slides on one side and the drop off to the canyon on the other. No guard rails or nothin’ on some of them streches! Just off the edge into my river at the bottom. And we couldn’t even get it along there! It just stuck to your back like pine tar. I tried some slides too but the rocks got too scared and stayed on your shoulder. Dang sissies. And even those right angle 20‘s… it stomped down on the way in and stomped down on the way out! The durn thing took them curves like it did further on up the road. That machine just keppa comin' down that long and winding road all the way into the funnel without any hesitation atall.”
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Red started settlin’ down as his centerline was achin’ and the agony of da feet and miles was just too much. So he finished, “Yeah we threw everything in the book at it. Even the Jedediah Smith Redwood Grove down at the bottom of the funnel couldn’t stop it. Big 'ol lunker trees on every side of them triple 90 curves. Not even a shoulder to lean on. Thought for sure we’d get it there finally. At least a scrape or two on it's way out. But no luck.” |
So that’s the story of today’s loss against an American machine barely a few months old. Strong lineage though from about 40 years back. It snapped a perfect record of intimidation that stood for decades. Smitty said even the Steelhead & Salmon musta felt sorry for us cause there weren’t none of ‘em jumpin’ at dusk for suppertime. He was a good partner and friend and always said, “Kid even if your shoulders are a feelin’ a bit washed out… well you can lean on me”. Even so, me and Smitty didn’t talk any more that evening. Just let the gloom of the shadows and the darkness, darkness close in on us for the night.
“See ya in the mornin’ Smitty”. “Night Red”.
I am the Redwood Highway and my partner is the treacherous Smith River Canyon.
We used to be the undefeated intimidators… until today.
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Instead, we were intimidated…
Instead, we were in fear. The Green McQueen Drivin’ Machine won today. Hope that Bullitt takes another road home! |
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Copyright © 1998-2014. All Rights Reserved.
Charles D. Cole and/or Cole Dynamics Co.
Redwood Highway continued on Oregon Coast
Links to other Bullitt pages on Bullitt Banner at top of page