Quite clearly that the 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang was one of the most successfully advertised and promoted introductions in automotive history. Much of this was due to the car itself of course, but Ford’s marketing team didn’t just let those popular pony cars sell themselves. They worked hard to keep the public interested in the hot new sports car that we now know as the Classic Mustang. (more…)
This was one special edition classic Mustang that extended beyond just Mustangs to include the 1970 Torino Cobra and Ranchero as well. Like other regional specials in the Mustang past, the Twister Special one was limited to one DSO, which was Kansas (DSO 53). There were 96 Mustang Twisters made in 1970, all Mach 1’s with consecutively numbered VIN’s built at the Dearborn Ford plant. The cars were identically equipped except for the engine/transmission combos. Half of the 96 produced got the new 351C-4V (Cleveland) and half the 428 SCJ (Super Cobra Jet). Both 4 speed manual and C6 automatics were used. All were clad in Grabber Orange paint with a “Twister Special” tornado decal on the rear quarter panels (see photos below)
Perhaps one of the best known of the limited edition classic Mustangs is the 1968 California Special, or GT/CS. Most Mustang veterans and even casual enthusiasts have heard of it, yet false info and rumor still abound on the net.
The California Special roots started with “Little Red”, a hand built experimental Shelby coupe. Shelby’s were only offered in fastbacks and convertibles, but there was enough interest in expanding to the coupe body style that a prototype was mocked up. Although the Shelby coupe idea was ultimately scrapped, the groundwork was laid for the California Special. Borrowing heavily from the Shelby parts bins (more…)
Yet another regional special, the Cardinal Edition (or Cardinal Special) was released to help spur sales in the North Carolina and Virginia markets. What made this “special” special was primarily the Candy Apple Red paint and the unique diamond shaped emblem on the B pillar featuring a Cardinal head. Black C stripes were also included, creating a color scheme to match the Cardinal; state bird of Virginia.
This was a dealer created package, so these Mustangs didn’t roll off the assembly line as Cardinal Specials. They arrived at the dealer in Candy Apple Red and the dealer then applied the emblem and marketed it. See the dealer’s newspaper ad below for the other features of this classic Mustang. (more…)
1968 Gold Nugget Special Mustang (aka Golden Nugget Mustang)
Limited edition Mustangs were never more plentiful than in 1967-68. Between factory created regional specials and dealer created oddities, the Mustang buyer of the late 60’s had some interesting choices.
The 1968 Gold Nugget Special (also called Golden Nugget) was primarily a special paint color; Sunlit Gold with a black vinyl roof, black-out hood and black striping. The paint code was Y5 and the DSO is 74-1111, indicating Seattle and then 1111 for special order. There’s rumor that these Gold Nugget Specials could also be painted other colors, as indicated by the window sticker below showing Corporate Yellow. However, this particular window sticker is a reproduction, not an original, so the facts aren’t 100% conclusive on the issue of custom special paint. Note the newspaper ad below also talks about a dash plaque with the customer’s name. Talk about a one-off Mustang!
Not all of the special edition Mustangs came from the factory. Sometimes the dealerships took matters into their own hands and came up with some pretty unusual ponies. Take Mainway Ford in Toronto Canada for instance. They created the Mustang “Stallion” as a high performance muscle car obviously catered to the young male buyer. These classic Mustangs were fastbacks only, and highly optioned ones at that. Under the hood was either a K-code hipo 289 or the new for ’67 big block S-code 390 GT engine. Transmission choices were the 4 speed manual or C6 automatic transmission. Also included on the Stallion were the heavy duty suspension package, power disc brakes, tach, posi-traction rear, styled steel wheels, upgraded Deluxe interior (including special woven seat covers) and special metallic paint. (more…)
1967 was a big year for limited edition Mustangs. Ford was riding the wave of success coming off the record setting sales of the 1965-1966 Mustang and individual sales districts wanted to keep that momentum going. Like the High Country Special and Ski Country Special created for the Denver sales district, the state of Texas didn’t want to be outdone and created their own unique classic Mustang. (more…)
Hot off the heels of the 1966 High Country Special, the Denver Sales District was eager to release another classic Mustang limited edition just for the Colorado market. Unlike the HCS package, which was only offered on the Mustang, the Ski Country Special could be had on the Galaxie, Fairlane, Ford Country Sedan and Mustang coupe and fastback (no convertibles). The Ski Country Special package consisted of special paint, a fender emblem and a few other items catering to the snowy high country. Paint colors were unique to this package and named after local ski resorts; Vail Blue, Winter Park Turquoise, Aspen Red, Breckenridge Yellow and Loveland Green.
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