If you walked into a Ford dealership in Los Angeles back in February 1968, you might have seen something that looked like a Shelby but definitely wasn't priced like one. It had the side scoops. It had the ducktail spoiler. It even had the sequential Thunderbird taillights. But it was just a Mustang. Sorta.
The 1968 California Special Mustang is one of those cars that people constantly misidentify at local car shows. "Nice Shelby, man," is a phrase GT/CS owners hear about as often as they have to check their oil. Honestly, it’s understandable. The car was basically a factory-built "greatest hits" album of 1960s Ford performance styling, cooked up by a group of California dealers who were terrified of losing market share to the Camaro.
Why the 1968 California Special Mustang Even Exists
The story doesn't start in a design studio in Dearborn. It starts with Lee Grey. He was the District Sales Manager for Ford in Southern California, and he was watching his sales numbers get punched in the gut by the "pony car wars."
California was—and still is—a massive chunk of the automotive market. Grey noticed that Shelby’s "Little Red" prototype (an experimental notchback) was getting a ton of attention. He figured, why not just build a production version of that for the masses? He pitched the idea to Lee Iacocca. It worked.
Ford green-lit the project under the internal name "California Special," and the GT/CS was born. They didn't have much time. Production was crammed into a short window at the San Jose plant, specifically from mid-February to early August of 1968. If you find a "California Special" with a production date in 1967 or late 1968, you’re looking at a clone. Or a miracle. But mostly likely a clone.
The Shelby Connection is Real
While it’s not a Shelby, it was heavily influenced by the Shelby Automotive team. They actually supplied many of the fiberglass parts. The decklid, the quarter panel extensions, and the non-functional side scoops all came from the same creative DNA that gave us the GT500.
But here is a weird detail people forget: the 1968 California Special Mustang was strictly a hardtop (notchback) affair. No fastbacks. No convertibles. If you see a fastback with GT/CS badging, someone had a very busy weekend with a catalog and a drill. The whole point was to make the more affordable notchback look aggressive.
Spotting the Real Deal: It’s All in the Details
Identifying a legitimate GT/CS is getting harder as the value of these cars climbs. Since it was an appearance package (option code 65A with the GT/CS branding), people have been faking them for decades.
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The Taillights
The most iconic feature is the rear end. Ford used 1965 Thunderbird taillight lenses. However, unlike the T-Bird, the GT/CS didn’t have the sequential blinker electronics from the factory. Most owners add them later because, honestly, why wouldn't you? The back of the car also features a unique pop-open gas cap.
The Stripes and Scoops
The "GT/CS" stripe runs down the side and terminates at the mid-body air scoop. These scoops are fiberglass and, surprisingly, they are totally fake. They don't cool the brakes. They don't feed the engine. They just look cool. Sometimes that's enough.
Blacked-Out Grille
The front of the car is distinct. It lacks the traditional running horse emblem in the center of the grille. Instead, it’s a clean, blacked-out look with rectangular fog lamps—usually Lucas or Marchal brands.
The Missing GT
Interestingly, a 1968 California Special Mustang does not have to be a "GT." You could order the CS package on a plain-jane inline-six Mustang if you really wanted to. Most came with V8s, but the "GT" in GT/CS refers to the package name, not necessarily the GT performance equipment like the heavy-duty suspension or the quad-tip exhaust.
The High Country Special: The Colorado Cousin
Here’s a bit of trivia that usually wins a bar bet: the California Special had a twin.
Ford realized that if California dealers liked a regional special, Colorado dealers would probably want one too. So, they created the High Country Special (HCS). It is identical to the GT/CS in every way except for the name on the side stripe. Only 251 High Country Specials were made in 1968, compared to about 4,118 California Specials.
If you find a legitimate 1968 HCS, you’ve basically found a four-wheeled unicorn.
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The Reality of Owning One Today
Driving a 1968 California Special Mustang is exactly like driving any other '68 Mustang, which is to say, it feels like steering a very fast boat.
The suspension is dated. The drum brakes (if it hasn't been converted) are terrifying. But the experience is visceral. You smell the unburnt gasoline. You feel every vibration of the Windsor or FE engine through the floorboards.
Maintenance and Parts
The nightmare isn't the engine—it's the trim. If you crack a fiberglass decklid or lose a specific GT/CS script emblem, you aren't just going to the local Pep Boys. You’re scouring specialized forums and paying a premium for "New Old Stock" (NOS) parts.
Thankfully, the Mustang aftermarket is massive. Most mechanical parts are shared with the standard coupe, which makes it one of the most reliable "rare" cars you can actually own and drive on the weekends without fearing a $10,000 repair bill for a broken water pump.
Market Trends: What Is It Actually Worth?
Values for the GT/CS have been on a steady climb, especially as the 1967-1968 fastback prices have moved into the "expensive house" territory.
A "project" car that needs a full restoration might still set you back $15,000 to $20,000. A clean, numbers-matching 390 V8 version? You’re looking at $50,000 to $80,000 depending on the day and the auction house.
The "S-Code" 390 big-block cars are the ones collectors fight over. Most GT/CS Mustangs came with the 289 or the 302, which are great engines, but they don't have that "big block" prestige that drives the hammer price up at Barrett-Jackson.
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How to Verify a 1968 California Special Mustang
Don’t ever buy one of these without a Marti Report. Period.
Kevin Marti owns the original Ford production database, and he can tell you exactly how a car left the factory based on its VIN. Because the GT/CS was a specific promotion, the Marti Report will explicitly state "California Special" or "GT/CS."
If the seller says the paperwork was "lost in a fire" but promises it’s real—run. Or at least price it as a standard coupe.
Check the VIN
The fifth character of the VIN tells you the engine:
- J: 302 4V (High Compression)
- C: 289 2V
- S: 390 4V
- T: 200 Inline 6
The plant code must be "R" for San Jose. If the VIN starts with 8F (Dearborn) or 8T (Metuchen), it cannot be a factory California Special.
Actionable Steps for Potential Buyers
If you’re serious about getting into the GT/CS game, you need to be methodical. This isn't a car you buy on a whim after three beers and a late-night scroll through Craigslist.
- Join the GT/CS Registry. The community at https://www.google.com/search?q=GTCSRegistry.com is the gold standard. They have tracked thousands of these cars by VIN and can often tell you the history of a specific vehicle before you even call the seller.
- Inspect the Fiberglass. Check the trunk drops and the quarter panel extensions. Look for stress cracks in the fiberglass. Replacing these with cheap reproductions often results in poor fitment where the trunk lid won't line up with the quarter panels.
- Verify the Fog Light Brackets. Many clones use generic brackets. The original 1968 California Special Mustang had very specific pedestals for the fog lamps that are unique to this model.
- Prioritize the "S-Code". If you are buying for investment, wait for a 390 big block. If you are buying to drive and enjoy, the 289 or 302 is actually a much better-handling car because there is significantly less weight over the front wheels.
- Look for the "DSO" on the Door Tag. A real California Special will almost always have a District Sales Office (DSO) code of 71 (Los Angeles), 72 (San Jose), or 75 (Phoenix). Some were sold in Seattle (74), but the vast majority stayed in the Southwest.
The 1968 California Special Mustang remains a fascinating piece of marketing history. It’s a car that shouldn’t have worked—a regional parts-bin special—yet it became one of the most recognizable Mustangs ever produced. It captures that specific 1968 moment where Ford was trying to be everything to everyone, and somehow, they actually pulled it off.