"California Made it Happen!" was Ford's marketing slogan for the one year only, limited edition California Special. 4118 of these GT/CS Mustangs were produced in 1968 as a regional promotion in California. However, despite the name they were also available in other western districts including Phoenix, Seattle, Texas and others. In 2007 Ford reintroduced the GT/CS package bringing this collectible car to a whole new generation of enthusiasts.

The 1968 GT/CS package combined styling elements from the Shelby with the economy that Mustang was known for. It was an aesthetic package that could be ordered with any standard Mustang engine and transmission; from the 200 cid 6 cylinder to the tire smoking 428 CJ. Only available on the coupe body style, the special appointments included blacked out grille with fog lights, turn signal hood with hood locks, side stripes, faux fiberglass side scoops with GT/CS logo, fiberglass rear decklid with molded in "duck tail" spoiler, special pop-off gas cap, script emblem on rear quarter panels and fiberglass tail light panel with wide 1965 T-bird tail lights. Many of these parts, including the trunk lid, tail light panel and fog lights were the same ones used on the 1968 Shelby.

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A lesser known sister car to the California Special was the 1968 High Country Special. It was identical to the GT/CS with the exception of the deleted "California Special" script and a shield shaped HCS logo instead of the GT/CS on the side scoops. 251 of these cars were sent by train to Denver, Colorado to be sold directly from dealer lots. You couldn't special order a HCS car. Because these cars were produced later in the year, a greater number came with the 428 CJ engine, which was a mid year addition to the Mustang powerplant lineup.

1968 was actually the third year of the High Country Special package, although the 1966 & 1967 models were not as distinct as the 1968. The 66-67 HCS cars featured two unique elements; a brass sheild shaped badge on each front fender and one of 3 special paint colors; Columbine Blue, Timberline Green or Aspen Gold. The DSO on the door data tag will be a 6 digit number for the 66 & 67 HCS cars, indicating the special order paint color.