It was also Ford’s response to the then-new Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, and Mustang sales having dropped more than 20% in 1967. In short, Ford was hoping that the California Special would become a hit and boost Mustang sales to pre-1966 numbers.
While not as rare as other Mustangs from the era, the California Special is indeed a special model when compared to most pony cars that left the Ford factory in 1968.
That’s because it was inspired by the now-iconic Little Red prototype and developed in cooperation with Shelby. Specifically, it left the assembly line as a hybrid between the regular Mustang GT and the Shelby GT350.
But unlike the Shelby GT350, the California Special was available in all standard Mustang colors and with all engine and transmission combinations.
The GT/CS you see here is not one of those incredibly rare big-block cars, but it’s a bit more special than its small-block siblings. That’s because the Raven Black paint and the options it comes with make it a one-of-one gem. And it has a Marti Report to prove it.
The pony is also in fabulous condition overall and highly original, still rocking its factory 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) V8, C4 automatic transmission, and 2.79-ratio rear axle. It was obviously refreshed at some point, but the odometer shows only 56,494 miles, which means that it also spent a lot of time in storage.
Arguably one of the cleanest California Specials I’ve seen in a long time, this muscle car is scheduled to hit the auction block at Mecum’s Kissimmee 2023 event in January.
There’s no price estimate to run by, but Concours-ready examples go for more than $70,000. Given the one-of-one status, this California Special could fetch more than that.
