California Special ??

TurboDoctor · Jan 29, 2004

Have the chance to pic one up for a fair price in good condition. Ive seen them before online but not really first hand, What makes them a California special exactly ??

Fostang · Jan 29, 2004

They can only be driven in california duh. LOL

shelbyseven · Jan 29, 2004

they have the shelby trunk lid and end caps,tailights and side scoops.it was basically california dealers capitalizing on shelby's ,i think. i also remember reading somewhere that the wiring harness for the tail lights was cal. special specific,with it's on part number.

Mustang Jim · Jan 30, 2004

They were basically stock Mustang coupes with some add on's. Though they were called California Specials, they were sold not only in CA, but in a number of western states (Nevada, Oregon ???). There were Lucas fog lamps up front in the grille area. Also, they had Shelby-like side scoops on the rear quarters, a rear spoiler mounted on the trunk lid, CS stripes along the sides, GT wheels without "GT" appearing on the center covers and, best of all, 65 Thunderbird taillights. I once heard that all California Specials were based on the GT's, but I believe that they could have been configured with any engine/transmission combination.

I once almost bought a CS. The car I almost purchased, a 67, had a 2 barrel 289 and a 3 speed manual. Back in 1987, the seller was asking $3,000 and he didn't seem to be negotiable. The car was all original with about 60,000 miles on the odometer, good original lime green paint, excellent interior, absolutely no rust and it rode pretty close to new. I walked away from the deal because I thought he was asking too much. Ah, if I could just go back in time....

Mustang Jim · Jan 30, 2004

One last note...

I think you can kind of validate if the car is an original CS versus a clone. You can check the DSO code to make sure that it was destined to go to a west coast distribution center. For example, if the car has a Philiadelphia DSO code on the data plate, then it's a clone.

67GTA-FB429 · Jan 30, 2004

Did they make CS in 67? I have always been under the inpression that they were a 68 only car.

stebbi66 · Jan 30, 2004

Mustang Jim said:
I once almost bought a CS. The car I almost purchased, a 67, had a 2 barrel 289 and a 3 speed manual. Back in 1987, the seller was asking $3,000 and he didn't seem to be negotiable.....

There were no GT/CS's made in 1967 only 1968, you might be confusing it with the "High Country Specials" they were made in 1966, 67 and 68.

http://www.californiaspecial.com

Mustang Jim · Jan 30, 2004

Thanks, I think my memory is going with age. It was a 68 CS and NOT a 67. Now, if you can trust me, the High Country Specials were introduced after the CS.

67GTA-FB429 · Jan 30, 2004

The CS was Southern California only and High Country was Colorado only. But like Mustang Jim, my literature states that they were only available in 68. But there are dealers out there who did special stuff so there may be a few earlier models around.

TurboDoctor · Jan 30, 2004

I figure in the condition its in, clone or not for 4,500 I cant beat that kind of deal. Are they rare or have any collector value ? Thanks for all the Info guys.

12sec67 · Jan 30, 2004

i found one here in my area and i was thinking of getting it and putting all my stuff in it. it had original paint and the engine ran ok and he wanted 5000.oo for it which was a good deal but didn't have the cash at the time.

love that decklid so much i bought it for my car! i think it looks better with regular lights than the shelby lights.... my opinion of coarse!

SL 1993 R · Jan 30, 2004

wow Jim, your memory is going fast,,, the High Country Specials were out long before the CA Specials,, the first year for HCS was 1966 I believe..

Mustang Jim · Feb 2, 2004

SL 1993, check again. Mustang Monthly ran an article on the High Country Specials a number of years back and they were introduced after the CS. I agree, my memory is getting bad...my wife has to remind me when our anniversary is, garbage pickup, etc... However, I'm sure that I never heard of, nor saw, a 66 High Country Special.

Mustang Jim · Feb 2, 2004

Thank goodness for wives (did I say that?). I stand corrected and, yes, my memory is shot. YES, there were High Country Specials starting in 1966. My wife quickly pointed it out to me right after my post. I was just told never to reply to a post without consulting with her first. My apologies to all of you High Country Special owners and to SL 1993 R

SuperDave · Feb 2, 2004

As I've often stated before, Ford's movitation in producing the "Specials" was to boost saggy sales caused by the introduction of the Camaro and other "pony" cars. The Mustang phenominon of '65-'66 was beginning to wear off. Ford didn't do major re-work of the Mustang until '69 and SOMETHING had to be done to boost sales. "Hank the Deuce" (Henry Ford II) was a major player and if you study his thinking, much of the Mustang's early history becomes more apparent. As always, the "bottom line" rules. I can hardly disagree.

Often forgotten in this discussion is the "Twister Special" which was produced to attract sales in the mid-west. It looks very much like the California Special but has unique graphics. A fine example of any "Special" can ommand a premium price.

I remember this because I was THERE!

stebbi66 · Feb 2, 2004

Here is a link to some pictures of my 1966 "High Country Special".

http://www.mustang.is/car_of_the_month_2.htm

Pakrat · Feb 2, 2004

As per usual, our own walking time capsule Mr. SD has it right again.

Here is a great little web page that has collected quite a bit of information on most of those crazy "Specials" out there that were offered. Some common, some obscure and some that I had never heard of before.

Pak.

http://pages.prodigy.net/d.hughmanick/specials.html

crushnut · Feb 2, 2004

What color is this car?

EDIT: Nevermind i found it, its Meadowlark Yellow.

jeffnoel · Apr 20, 2004

I've got a chance to get a fully restored 68 GT/CS. It's presidential Blue with white stripe and turquise interior. Powered by a 302 with C4 and 8" open rear. Like I said it's restored but, the interior still needs to be reinstalled. The asking is 10K as-is or 14K if he installs the interior for me. Is this a good deal or should I walk away.

Ozsum67 · Apr 20, 2004

jeffnoel said:
I've got a chance to get a fully restored 68 GT/CS. It's presidential Blue with white stripe and turquise interior. Powered by a 302 with C4 and 8" open rear. Like I said it's restored but, the interior still needs to be reinstalled. The asking is 10K as-is or 14K if he installs the interior for me. Is this a good deal or should I walk away.

Run don't walk as fast as you can.

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