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. !969 California Special??

jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
It's your car, do with it as you please. As long as you don't attempt to pass it off as a real GT/CS I don't have a problem with it.

I must say I stand corrected on this, I took it to it's first show this weekend. Just a general show about 1700 cars pre 1980's. As I drove by or sat where I could hear people talk there were a ton of people who thought it was a California Special. I gave them too much credit, I thought people would just say they liked the style and talk about how I did this or that to it. But, they let me down and just assumed it was a factory styled car. The car was not built to sale, and I guess I will need to tell people it is not a GT/CS and is a fake as a $3 bill.
 

TexAg

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
112
Location
Austin, TX
For what it's worth, I tried the same thing. I built a '67 coupe with Shelby fiberglass. Same thing happened, everyone either assumed it was a Shelby (no coupes built for production), or that I was building a clone. It wasn't even close to factory, as it had an EFI 5.0 with a 5 speed tranny, and seats from a Fox body.. The car was built the way I saw it in my head. I fell in love with the GT/CS in high school because I loved Shelby, but always thought he should have built a coupe. Don't let it get you down. Enjoy your passion and do what makes you happy!
 

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robert campbell

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
4,321
Ag,
That car is bitchin!!! I did the same thing about 30 years ago to a 67coupe. Not trying to pass it off as anything other than a cool car I wanted!!

Do you still have it?

Rob
 

TexAg

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
112
Location
Austin, TX
Thanks! Yeah, it started out as a 6 cylinder 3 speed car. Took about four years, and I didn't quite finish it. No, unfortunately I had to sell it. One in a long list of "I wish I didn't sell that car...." cars.

Hard to believe it was the same car.
 

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jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
For what it's worth, I tried the same thing. I built a '67 coupe with Shelby fiberglass. Same thing happened, everyone either assumed it was a Shelby (no coupes built for production), or that I was building a clone. It wasn't even close to factory, as it had an EFI 5.0 with a 5 speed tranny, and seats from a Fox body.. The car was built the way I saw it in my head. I fell in love with the GT/CS in high school because I loved Shelby, but always thought he should have built a coupe. Don't let it get you down. Enjoy your passion and do what makes you happy!

Actually Shelby did build a coupe in 1969 in Mexico, I have seen one in person. Here are a few of the photos I took at the time. It was at a Shelby reunion show at Galpin Ford. most but not all of the decals under the hood were in Spanish. The Cobra Is the First one he ever made, just tossed it in for fun. Shelby changed it many times used it as a test mule.
 

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jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
few more photos, This car was not prepped as a Shelby but a cool set up.
 

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jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
With black walls again thanks for reminder.
 

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jokerhill

Active member
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
Messages
25
I am really trying to let this post die off, but this was too big of a response to the car from some big names in Ford Performance Mustangs. Again I think it looks just slightly like a 1968 GT/CS but mostly in spirit and if you squint you might make a mistake about it. But with open eyes I thought everyone could tell. Well both of these guys have written books about the mustangs, and are considered experts. They loved the car, which was cool and all, but I thought they understood what I did to a 1969 not a 1968 and how much harder that was to do. I'm not trying to fool anyone, and they get that but miss it is a 1969 and all the differences from a true GT/CS. Well here is what they said about it. https://mattstonecars.com/ford-performance-road-show/
 
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