Calfornia Special
Shelby inspired Little Red the 1968 California Special GT/CS – Rear View
Lee Grey attended the Ford Preview event for the new 1968 Fords at the Los Angeles Coliseum in August 1967, where he saw a Shelby GT-500 prototype coupe nicknamed “Little Red”. This was a supercharged 428, C-6 automatic coupe that was dressed up in bright red paint, and a vinyl roof, as a formal, yet high-performance vehicle. It was on display to gauge market response as a possible Shelby lineup Mustang. Lee saw this as an opportunity to use the elements of this prototype to market his “California-Only Mustang”. He met with Lee Iacocca in L.A., and the decision was made to bring the car to Dearborn to develop into a limited edition Mustang. First, it was known as the “GT/SC”, as a nationally available Sport Coupe, then, after some discussion, developed as the GT/CS.
“Little Red” was long thought to have been crushed but was discovered in early 2018, after missing for over 50 years. Craig Jackson tracked it down using Fords registered VIN as opposed to using the Shelby VIN which had been used to track it up until this time in order to track down the vehicle. It was rotting away in an open field in Weatherford, Texas after being passed around by numerous owners. Plans are to restore “Little Red” to its previous glory.[1]
Shelby automotive and the GT/CS
Shelby Automotive, now part of Ford, was assigned the task of designing and engineering the necessary parts and assembly procedures for the GT/CS. This was done right alongside the development of their 1968 Shelby. The fiberglass parts were crafted at A.O. Smith, in Ionia, Michigan, in steel molds. A.O. Smith was also the same OEM manufacturer for the Corvette fiberglass bodies. The fiberglass parts for the GT/CS included: the rear decklid and end caps, taillight panel, and side scoops (RH and LH).
Green Hornet
On April 4, 1968, during production of the GT/CS, a second Shelby coupe prototype, the “Green Hornet EXP-500”, was built by Shelby Automotive based on a GT/CS purchased from Ford. The company wanted to test a number of developments, so it removed the 390-cubic-inch big-block V8 for a 428 CJ big-block V8 with Conelec fuel injection, a six-speed automatic designed in-house, an independent rear suspension, disc brakes at all corners, and side stripes.
“Little Red” and the “Green Hornet” were the only two Shelby coupes produced (other than the race-only ’67 coupes). Both were prototypes. All other Shelby Mustangs were either fastbacks or convertibles. “Green Hornet” has been kept in good condition.
The Green Hornet Mustang was later owned by Barrett-Jackson Chairman and CEO Craig Jackson, and went on sale at Barrett-Jackson 2013 Scottsdale auction,[2] but the sales failed when the high bid of $1.8 million was lower than the consigner’s reserve price.[3] In Nerve Center episode ‘Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction’, it was revealed the reserve price was $2.5 million.[4]
Features
GT/CS Hood Locks and Fog Lamps
GT/CS Taillights
GT/CS Side Scoop
The Mustang GT/CS features included: Marchal or Lucas Fog Lights, twist-type DZUS hood pins, side scoops, pop-open gas cap, rear spoiler decklid with end caps, and taillight panel with 1965 Thunderbird taillights (non sequential). Side stripes with the “GT/CS” die-cut logo, along with a rear decklid stripe were included, and were available in white, black, red, and metallic medium blue only. It was available in all standard Mustang colors for 1968, all Ford engine and transmission combinations (except 427/C-6, which was dropped for all ’68s).
Most produced were the small-block 289 two-barrel (2V) carburetor with C-4 automatic transmission. All regular production factory and dealer options for 1968 Mustang coupes were also available for the GT/CS, other than options that would conflict with the GT/CS package, such as fog lights or C-stripes. The GT option package was available on the GT/CS so some, but not all, GT/CSs are also GTs. The “GT” in GT/CS has nothing to do with the GT package.
Here is all the complete story of the Green Hornet and Little Red. It is amazing story by Craig Jackson and his team’s epic search, recovery and restoration. Check out thier site and their story its pretty amazing. https://shelbyprototypecoupes.com/
TWISTER MUSTANG
1The 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special was a limited-edition Mustang with a Grabber Orange paint job and “tornado” decals. It was a top-of-the-line Mustang with a drag pack suspension and a 351 Cleveland engine.
How it was created
The Twister Special was created for Ford’s Kansas City sales district dealers.
The project was originally intended for American Raceways International (ARI) as pace cars and limited editions.
When ARI went bankrupt, Ford used the cars as a limited edition series for Kansas City Ford dealers.
The cars were named after the frequent Midwest tornados.
Features
Black midlevel side stripes
“Tornado” rear quarter-panel decals
Black hood stripe
Functional Shaker hood scoop
Drag Pack 3.91 gears
Power front disc brakes
Competition suspension
Mach 1 deluxe bucket-seat interior
Rarity
Only 96 Twister Specials were produced, making it one of the rarest and most sought after Mustangs of all time.
1985 Twister II
- One of 90 produced in 1985
- Unrestored with 26,245 miles
- Cosmetic package for Kansas City dealers to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the original Twister Special
- 5.0L V-8 engine
- 4-barrel carburetor
- T5 5-speed manual transmission
- Power steering
- Power brakes
- T-Tops
- Original Jalepena Red finish
- Gray cloth interior with Red accent piping
- Power windows
- Cruise control
- Aluminum wheels
1984 Mustang GT 350
The 1984 Ford Mustang GT350 convertible was a limited-edition car that celebrated 20 years of the Mustang. It was part of Ford’s third generation of Mustangs, known as the Fox body.
Only 5,261 GT350s were built in 1984, including both coupes and convertibles
Only 587 GT350 convertibles were built with the 5.0-liter high-output engine and 5-speed manual transmission
Tihe glove-box door is stating that the car was “Manufactured by Shelby American,” but I doubt carrol was happy about that.
- Oxford White exterior with Canyon Red interior
- Red body side moldings and Pony fender emblems
- Unique anniversary dash badge
- 5.0-liter V8 engine
- 5-speed manual transmission
- Power steering
- Power front disc brakes
- Traction-Lok axle
- Front air dam with integrated fog lights
- Factory air conditioning
1978 King Cobra
This was not an actual model but if you bought a Cobra you would have the option of choosing a King Cobra. To me its on the most unique and very rare Mustangs as they only sold a little over 4000 of the options. The price has gone up and keeps appreciating.
Green Hornet and Little Red
EXP-500, the 1968 “Green Hornet” is one of two prototype Mustang notchbacks Ford and Shelby American built for R&D purposes. (The other is the 1967 known as “Little Red.”) Since last year, both machines are owned by Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson, and while Green Hornet was first restored by Mustang expert Martin Euler, that 1993 job didn’t leave the green EXP-500 exactly where Carroll Shelby had it before the car got sold to Ford employee Robert Zdanowski in May 1971. So, Jackson brought the car back to its full glory.
Back in the late ‘60s, what started out as a Lime Gold ‘68 Mustang powered by a 390-cubic-inch V-8 became the most important GT/SC prototype. Shelby began the conversion by fitting Thunderbird tail lights and its own body panels, but the 390 was soon replaced by a fuel-injected 428 engine dubbed CJ-X. Called EXP-500 by this point, Green Hornet also got a gearbox based on a truck transmission, as well as independent rear suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. All cutting-edge hardware by late-’60s muscle car standards.
Having spent two decades at the Zdanowski family with a standard engine and rear end, Green Hornet was sold to classic-car dealer Steve Davis, who later became the president of Barrett-Jackson. Davis also has sold his majority interest in the car to Craig Jackson. The company CEO was a close friend of Carroll Shelby, which may explain why back in 2013, Green Hornet wouldn’t meet reserve at $1.9 million.
Last year, Jackson sent his beloved prototype to Jason Billups, so that the car could be restored once more to match Shelby American experimental specifications. And with ample time for a photoshoot before SEMA, the work on this golden-metallic green beast has been completed
Info provided by Hagerty which is my insurance company for my Mach 1 and soon to be 72 corvette and both King Cobras
https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/1968-green-hornet-mustang-prototype-freshly-restored-to-shelby-spec/
The only hardtop coupe GT500 built in 1967, this prototype nicknamed Little Red is an important piece of Mustang history that disappeared for decades. It resurfaced as a pile of scrap metal when few thought it would ever be found, and was ultimately restored to its former glory.
Out of all the performance versions of the first-generation Mustang, the Shelby GT500 is without a doubt the most iconic. After the success of the GT350, Ford and Shelby American decided to up the ante by developing an even more impressive model. Based on the revamped, 1967 ‘Stang, but thoroughly upgraded and extensively redesigned, the GT500 was a thoroughbred 2+2 grand tourer that could rival much more expensive European counterparts in terms of style and performance.
Although the production version was only available in the newly introduced fastback body version with its swept-back rear window and unique ventilation louvers, one of the very first prototypes was developed around a standard hardtop.
It all started in late-1966 when Carroll Shelby and his crew received a 1967-spec GT coupe that was unique in more ways than one – even before they started modifying it.
It went down as the only GT coupe delivered with dual-quad carburetors, the first 428-ci (7.0-liter) FE-equipped hardtop that was ever put together at Ford’s San Jose assembly plant, the first hardtop to feature a 428, and the only 1967 Mustang with a standard coupe body that was supplied with this engine straight from the factory.
Once it arrived at the Shelby American shop in Venice, California, chief engineer Fred Goodell supervised the car’s transformation. It was fitted with bespoke components developed for the upcoming GT500. While the body got a new, fully independent rear suspension system and front disc brakes, the body was outfitted with a redesigned, elongated front end, a new hood, an embedded rear spoiler, side scoops, on the rear quarters, and even the iconic horizontal taillights sourced from a Mercury Cougar. Except for the black vinyl top, it looked exactly like the ’67 GT500.
Next, the 428 FE engine known as the Police Interceptor was tweaked to squeeze out more power. This particular unit that came with the coupe became a testbed for many experimental components that didn’t make it to the GT500’s production motor, such as a Paxton supercharger.
As you would expect from a Caroll Shelby-developed vehicle, this unique GT500 was blistering fast but, unfortunately, no official figures were ever released. What we do know is that it was painted Candy Apple Red, which led to its nickname.
The Little Red was a fascinating car for many, including Ford’s Los Angeles District Manager Lee S. Grey. The story goes that he borrowed the car from Shelby for a few weeks to test the public reaction to a Little Red-inspired regional special. The feedback was more than positive, and the result was the 1968 California Special.
For several months, the car became Fred Goodell’s daily driver, but he and the Shelby team continued testing components and several powertrain combinations. In the end, Ford and Shelby American decided that the production version of the GT500 was only going to be available as a fastback coupe and Little Red was shipped to Kar Kraft where it continued its test mule career for a short while. Like many experimental prototypes, it was set to be destroyed, but it somehow avoided the crusher. What exactly happened remained a mystery and over the next half-century, Little Red became a myth. Rumors about its existence surfaced now and again, leading many Mustang fanatics to embark on unsuccessful treasure hunts.
There was a second experimental GT500 built in 1968 called Green Hornet. This car also survived and was tracked down by Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. Along with restoration specialist Jason Billups, he began the painstaking process of restoring it and during that time, they managed to pick up the trail of its older, more notorious sibling.
In 2018, the pair made the discovery of their lifetimes when they located Little Red rusting away in a North Texas field. Its front end was missing, the suspension was a pile of rusted junk and what was left of its bodywork was in a sorry state. Jackson bought the car immediately from the owner who had no idea what he had on his property, and proceeded to restore it.
Both Green Hornet and Little Red were brought back to their original 1960s condition, thanks to the work of Jason Billups and his team. The fully restored cars made their public debut in January 2020 at an event organized in collaboration with Ford.
I found this to be the best story about it and giving props to autoevolution
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/the-fascinating-story-of-little-red-the-mythical-1967-shelby-gt500-experimental-coupe-189301.html#