I can totally see that being the reason, I'm just a little surprised that will how well known it is that it had the wheel swapped it was never directly mentioned or seemingly asked. :shrug:Can't recall off the top of my head but the answer is in the Shelby steering wheel---I think it was thinner and maybe a larger diameter. Don't research the Bullitt per se but research the 67/68 Shelby steering wheel and you should find discussions as to how and why that wheel was different then a stock Mustang steering wheel at that time.
in one of the videos i watched (hagertys?) it was mentioned that while in the current owner's family's possession, someone broke into their place where the car was being stored and stole the air cleaner... wtf?From the posted article (original steering wheel in the car was stolen yrs ago).
Mustang steering wheels of the day were plastic and were very slippery. Thus Shelby went wood. A wood wheel wrapped in leather is for comfort and grip while driving hard.
"The car’s path to New Jersey included a stint as a commuter for a movie editor, as illustrated by the Warner Bros. parking sticker on the bottom right corner of the windshield. It also passed through the hands of Frank Marranca, a police detective, who bought the car from the studio in 1971 with a letter from Ford certifying that the Mustang with VIN 8R02S125559 had been purchased by Solar Productions for the movie. Marranca shipped the car to New Jersey, and along the way, the shift knob and the aftermarket wood steering wheel were stolen. When Marranca’s growing family needed a station wagon, he put the otherwise untouched car up for sale."