Almost 50 years ago, one of the most famous car chases in movie history took place. In the movie Bullitt, Steve McQueen, aka Frank Bullitt, drove his 1968 Ford Mustang through the streets of San Francisco chasing a couple of assassins in a 1968 Dodge Charger. The chase ends with the Charger crashing into a gas station and exploding in a massive fireball.

Two 1968 Ford Mustang fastbacks were used in the filming of the movie. One was used for normal driving duties while the other car was used as a stunt double. After filming, the hero car wound up in the hands of several collectors while the stunt double was sold to a scrapper and believed to have been crushed. Fast forward almost 40 years and the stunt double was found last year rotting away in a Baja California salvage yard.

Once it was found, noted Ford expert Kevin Marti was contacted and asked to inspect the Mustang for authenticity. After inspection, Marti was able to conclude the Mustang truly was the missing car from the movie.

“I’m 100 percent sure it’s authentic,” classic Ford expert Kevin Marti told Fox News after traveling to Mexicali to inspect the car last week. Kevin examined various pieces of the Mustang, including date code and serial number stampings, that helped him determine its authenticity.

Oddly enough, the car was to be turned into an Eleanor clone before being verified as the lost Bullitt movie car. Thank goodness the owner had the car checked out before ruining this rare piece of Mustang history.