2006 Dodge Charger R/T vs. 2005 Mustang GT

You're a Chicago hitman in San Francisco for a job. You need a car; something that looks cool and will slink you up and over (sometimes way over) those notorious hilly streets--something like the sleek coupe Phil (Bill Hickman) drove in Steve McQueen's 1968 film "Bullitt." How about checking out a black, newly minted 2006 Dodge Charger R/T? Sure, it's a four-door, but it's got 350 horsepower and comes loaded with optional Daytona R/T goodies.

Cue the jazzy Lalo Schifrin soundtrack: Across the street from the apartment belonging to McQueen--er, Lieutenant Detective Frank Bullitt--is the corner grocery where he shops. "Fresh today," the clerk says as Bullitt heads to the frozen-foods section for dinner. Bullitt is the essence of cool, never speaking an extraneous word and living a minimalist modern-day Dashiell Hammett hard-boiled lifestyle in Baghdad by the Bay.

Even as far back as 1968, San Francisco was ripe territory for European and Asian automakers. First, unlike Middle America, its large immigrant population is more open to foreign makes. And its city streets, with impossibly steep hills and narrow passages, are as tight on space as much of urban Europe's. VW Beetles and Toyota Corollas take up much less real estate in crowded neighborhoods. In the ritzy environs, like Pacific Heights, even multimillion-dollar homes have driveways too tight and contorted for the average Buick Electra 225. Frank Bullitt was quietly showing off his muscle, guts, and independence by driving a long-hooded Mustang 390 V-8 in this city.

With its overall shape and detailing--and especially its front and rear fascias--cribbed from the 1967 and 1968 models, the 2005 Ford Mustang coupe was born to remake "Bullitt." For this story, all it needed were the right wheels and paint. The wheels were easy; the American Racing Torq-Thrust D-style alloys from the 2001 Bullitt are standard on the 2005 GT. Paint proved more difficult. Highland Green won't be available on the new Mustang until Ford launches its next Bullitt edition in about two years (see sidebar). But Ford was willing to help us replay the scene and sprayed a Screaming Yellow GT--minus rear wing--the Right Color.

Ordering up the new, all-black Charger was easier. The standard Charger R/T comes with a load-leveling suspension and stiffer shock tuning than the 250-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 models. All Chargers have the five-speed automatic transmission, although 2006 V-6 300s and Magnums still get a four-speed autobox. The SE and SXT get 17-inch wheels and tires in place of the R/T's 18s and touring suspension.