The Ford Mustang is one of the most excellent muscle cars in the world. It first appeared on the scene in early 1964 and is still in production today, with a new generation coming.
Over the years, there have also been some special edition Mustangs. Some, like the California Special, are well-known, while others are more obscure.
This list will focus on some of the more obscure Mustangs and examine some of the rarest special editions of the iconic muscle car.
1980 Ford Mustang McLaren M81
A Mustang developed with McLaren might sound like a dream, but it did happen. The Mustang McLaren M81 came in 1980, with Ford partnering with the British F1 team to create ten special editions of its muscle car. Thanks to the McLaren engineering team in Michigan, the engine went through a complete rebuild, as did the transmission. A production run of 250 was initially planned, but only ten emerged, and they are now one of the rarest forms of Fox Body Mustang.
2006 Ford Mustang Guigiaro
As the name suggests, the Giugiaro Ford Mustang was a design by famous Italian designer Guigiaro Giorgetto of Ital Design. Based on the S197 generation of the Mustang, under the hood was a 500 hp 4.6-liter supercharged V8. Giorgetto took his inspiration from the original 1966 Ford Mustang Mach 1 concept, and rather than just being a show pony, the Mustang Guigiaro was a running and road-legal car.
1964½ Mustang Indy Pace Car Replica
Pace car replicas of muscle cars and sports cars are not uncommon. However, the 1964 1/2 Mustang Indy Pace Car replica is less well-known. The pace car replicas were hardtops, with a blue-accented white interior and the same exterior colors as the actual Indy 500 pace car. Each one had the 260 ci two-barrel V8 under the hood, and estimates say Ford produced 850 pace car replicas. However, these were only dealer incentive contests, and Ford never sold them to the public.
1970 Ford Mustang Grabber
Ford’s Maverick Grabber is well known, but the 1970 Mustang Grabber is much more obscure. Grabber cars were promotional “special value package” SportsRoofs (or fastbacks) and came in various colors, such as Grabber Blue or Grabber Orange. The Mustangs had a 302 ci V8 under the hood, and only around 5,100 were ever built, making them a rare collectible.
1967 Indy Pacesetter Mustang
Ford lost out on the chance to pace the 1967 Indy 500 thanks to the Chevrolet Camaro, but they hit back with their 1967 Indy Pacesetter Mustang. Ford chose the name to celebrate the Mustang’s feat of selling 1.2 million units in its first two years of production, thus “setting the pace.” The Blue Oval produced just 324 Pacesetters, all with a Wimbledon White exterior and the standard blue interior.
1983 Ford Mustang GT Turbo
The 1983 Mustang GT Turbo is rare, as Ford produced just 604 examples. The 1983 GT Turbos were hatchbacks and produced at the end of the 1983 model year. It then became an option in 1984, and under the hood was the turbocharged 2.3-liter Lima engine, one of the most advanced turbo engines of the time.
1969 Mustang Limited Edition 600
This obscure variant of the Mustang was a Philadelphia sales district promotion to increase showroom traffic and sell more Mustangs early in 1969. It was available in Flower Power Red and Groovy Green, with just the 200 ci and 250 ci six-cylinder engines under the hood. Each of the Limited Edition 600 Mustangs had a Sports Appearance Group package that included a hood scoop with turn indicators, an AM radio, and unique Limited Edition 600 fender decals. Despite the name, Ford only produced 503 examples.
1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special
The 1970 Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special was one of the regional specials offered by Ford as sales for the Mustang continued to Flourish. Each had a unique name, such as “High Country” and “Ski Country” for the Colorado market, “California Special” for the West Coast, and “Sidewinder” for Nebraska and Iowa. “Twister Special” was the name given to the Missouri edition after the tornadoes that would touch down in Kansas City. Some would have the powerful 428 Super Cobra Jet under the hood.
1968 Ford Shelby EXP500 Green Hornet Prototype
This iconic Mustang was one of two taken from the Dearborn, Michigan, assembly line in late 1967. From there, Ford would add Thunderbird tail lights to the car and mount fog lights on the grille as a test for the California Special. Carroll Shelby and his chief engineer Fred Goodell gave the car an emerald metallic green livery before giving it the 428 ci Cobra Jet engine. The car has survived through various ownerships and had a complete restoration, including fitting many original parts in 2018.
1979–81 Ford Mustang Cobra
1979 was the first year of the Fox Body Mustang Cobra, and it quickly became one of the muscle cars most loved generations and models. The Cobra gave Ford a muscle car that could compete with the Pontiac Firebird, and the cosmetic upgrades certainly ensured that it stood out. The 1979 Cobra was the only one with the larger 5.0-liter V8 under the hood.
1995 Ford Mustang GTS
Ford ditched the 5.0-liter V8 when it introduced the SN95 Mustang. But in 1995, the Blue Oval quietly brought it back under the hood of the GTS Coupe. This was a 215 hp 5.0-liter V8 and the suspension and brakes from the Mustang GT. But the sleek, subtle exterior design made it look like a standard six-cylinder Mustang. Ford only produced 6,370 Mustang GTSs, with 4,848 boasting the five-speed manual and the rest the automatic transmission.
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition
The Boss 302 Laguna Seca name came from the 1969/1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302. The 2012 Boss 302 was a tribute to that original car, and it had the standard 5.0-liter V8 from the Mustang GT boosted to 444 hp. The Laguna Seca edition took things further with Recaro sports seats, revised suspension, Torsen limited-slip rear differential, and a larger rear stabilizer. Ford produced just 1,500 Boss 302 Laguna Seca Mustangs.
45th Anniversary Iacocca Ford Mustang
Lee Iacocca was heavily involved in developing the Mustang, which is one reason the car became so successful. In 2009, Ford honored him with a special edition Mustang of just 45 units in partnership with Galhpin Ford. The Mustang Lee Iacocca edition had a unique silver paint job and special badges to denote its special status.
1965 Shelby Ford Mustang GT350 R
The 1965 Shelby GT350 R came barely a year after the muscle car debuted. The aim was simple. Carroll Shelby wanted to turn the muscle car into one of the fastest race cars of the day, and thus, the GT350 R was born. Shelby brought the power output up to 360 hp, lightened the Msutang, and reworked the suspension to make it an agile racing machine in the corners. Homologation rules stipulated that 100 road-legal versions needed producing. But Shelby made just 34, making this one of the rarest Mustangs of all time.
1969 Ford Mustang E
The 1969 Ford Mustang E is the sole example built by Ford to compete in the Mobilgas Economy Run. This event was a hybrid of a road race and a rally, and while it looked just like a regular 1969 Mustang, it was different in several ways. Ford stripped the car of its air conditioning to increase gas mileage, and anything else unnecessary was also stripped to save weight and improve efficiency.
1963 Ford Mustang II (1 of1)
This stunning example of the Mustang recently reappeared on a Hagerty Barn Find YouTube video. The car was a concept that appeared to pique further enthusiasm for the upcoming production car, so this concept had quite some subtle differences from the production muscle car. The reinforced fiberglass steel body was five inches longer and three inches shorter in height. The front had sculpted headlights, and it was also the first appearance of a running Mustang on the front of the model. It is a true survivor and resides in storage at the Detroit Historical Society Museum.
1971 Ford Mustang Shelby Europa
Pamela Hirschhorn/Youtube.
The 1971 Shelby Europa is one of the rarest Shelby Mustangs. It marked the first foray of the Mustang onto the European market after Belgian Shelby dealer Claude Dubois sold 14 examples. Based on thee Mustang Mach 1, the Europa could have a 5.7-liter or 7.0-liter V8 under the hood, producing up to 400 hp. One of the 14 went missing in 1987, and to this day, nobody knows where it is.
1969 Ford Mustang BOSS 429 LID
The 1969 BOSS 429 was the Msutang intended to race in NASCAR. Sadly, it never got the chance. The car’s weight severely compromised its handling, which wasn’t ideal for the fast oval racing it was to take part in. Ford officially rated the 7.0-liter 429 at 375 hp, but this is often seen as an underrated figure, and it could push over 400 hp.
2011 Mustang Shelby 1000
While not one of the most dramatic-looking Mustangs, the 2011 Shelby 1000 deserves a mention. As the name suggests, this was a 1,000-hp Mustang thanks to the 5.4-liter supercharged V8 under the hood. While this was a significant headline number, Ford said the 1,000 hp was not continuously sustainable. The Shelby 1000 would become the last Mustang that Carroll Shelby was directly involved in before he passed away.
2000 Mustang SVT Cobra
The 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra was great-looking and went like a stabbed rat. It had a 5.4-liter V8 under the hood, producing 385 hp. Helping it stand out even more was the bright red paintwork and distinctive bodywork, such as the large rear wing and the new bulging hood. A top speed of 155 mph and a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds were respectable.
1965 Ford Mustang Bertone
Nobody knows where the Bertone Mustang has gone. This stunning one-off was a modified 289 fastback with a new glasshouse canopy and shortened radiator. This gave the Mustang a lower, sleeker, and more aerodynamic front end. Other changes included the 14-inch Campagnolo wheels and the smaller gas cap. After it appeared at motor shows in Paris, London, and Turin, the car vanished, and nobody knew what had happened.
1990 Ford Mustang “Seven-Up” Edition
This particular Mustang has to go down as one of the most obscure in history. The car resulted from a partnership between itself and the NCAA, where basketball fans could attempt to make a shot from half-court. If they made the shot, they would get their hands on a customized 1990 Mustang 5.0-LX convertible. However, Seven-Up canceled the project with just two examples built. So Ford decided to create 5,000 in total, rebranded as 25th-anniversary editions.
1964 World’s Fair Skyway Mustang
Ford decided to showcase its newest product at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. The Blue Oval produced 12 exceptional examples to go on display, and the 12 Mustangs, all convertibles, bore the numbers 100003 through 100014. It is now estimated that just two of the Skyway Mustangs remain.
1979 Mustang Turbo Four Pace Car
In 1979, Ford was back pacing the Indianapolis 500, so it commemorated it with the Mustang Four Turbo Pace Car package. This package offered replica paint and graphics that matched the actual Pace car, Recaro seats on the inside, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Ford produced 10,400 examples, and there was an even split between those with turbo-four power and V8 power.
