You don’t have to talk to too many car enthusiasts to get a list of the best movies for car enthusiasts. You’ll likely get many “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Bullitt,” and (sigh) “Fast and the Furious” recommendations. There’s a chance a Mopar fan or two will tout the automotive action in “Vanishing Point.”

However, “Bullitt” pits a Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 against a black 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440. It’s an iconic showdown, like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader– or Martin Brody and a 25-foot Great White Shark. More importantly, the matchup is a microcosm for the new face of muscle cars.

Specifically, 2024 marks the start of the seventh-generation (S650) Ford Mustang. Fortunately, Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, doubled down on the longevity of the V8 in the Mustang lineup. That’s right; the V8-powered Mustang will survive into the model’s seventh-gen span. Moreover, while Dodge discontinued the LD Charger and LA Challenger in 2023, the Charger will return as a coupe. 

Therein lies the epic reunion: the 2025 muscle car market will be the Ford Mustang vs. the Dodge Charger. What’s more, the angular coupe styling of the next-generation Charger means the pairing hasn’t been closer to the 1968 movie grudge match in years. 

Before fans get too excited at the prospect of staging a “Bullitt” rematch for YouTube, there’s a catch. Dodge confirmed that the next-gen Charger will offer fully electric options. On top of the whirring electric options, the new Charger may also pack a derivation of the Stellantis’s Hurricane twin-turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine. 

That means unless the Mopar powers that be include a next-generation V8 in the mix, the soundtrack of a Bullitt-style rematch will be a V8 vs. I6 affair. Swing and a miss.