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When did you know that you wanted a 1968 GT/CS?

classicsguy

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2002
Messages
1,519
I first saw the car in a classic car show here in Puerto Rico entering the show. It was a Highland Green 4 speed J code GT/CS. I inmediately fell in love with that car,I followed the car to its show parking spot and when he driver stepped down I happened to know him since he sold me a Corvette years ago. He is a used car dealer that specializes in high end cars. I started asking a lot of questions about the car and he told me that he brought in the car from California and that it was a real GT/CS. I fell in love with that car THE MINUTE I SAW IT... So when did you guys/gals knew that you just had to have one??
 

Midnight Special

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Messages
3,713
Location
Grass Valley, California
I got my first one almost 30 years ago after watching it go by the service station I worked at (when they still had them;-) every day. I was driving a '69 fastback at the time, but loved the Shelby appearance and its uniqueness over all the other Mustangs that were on the road at that time.

Lo & behold; it showed up in the paper for sale @ $2,100 and I immediately hocked my '69 for the same amount and bought it!

It was a pumped 390 4-spd. that was an absolute blast to drive - 'spent as much time working on it as not, but a great experience all around...

I sold it after two years to get a slightly more practical '69 Mach I, but deeply missed the adventure that radical ol'e CS brought me and all my friends. Now with fond memories and greater resources, I'm grateful to recapture those days once again and show my kids and new friends how much fun it was & can still be :))
 

clubpro

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Messages
665
It was the spring of 68 and we had family come to visit us. Living less than 10 miles from the Ford plant in Milpitas we decided to go take a tour of the plant. That is when I watched my first GT/CS being built. It was lime gold with black interior and I thought that it was the coolest car that I had ever seen and so did my cousin who was with me. I remember my uncle saying that it looked like someone backed it into a wall with that flat backside. Little did I know as a 10 year old that I would own one 31 years later. The first CS that I looked at buying was a lime gold with black interior and I was with that same cousin and my aunt, rather ironic, but it was a small block and I wanted a big block. I got my big block, white with ivy gold interior and won't ever get rid of it. Once I finish it I will begin looking for that lime gold CS to add to my collection. I might mention that my cousin also owns a CS, white with red interior. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Ron
 

somethingspecial

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
Messages
1,795
I was on a camping trip with Tim, (Midnight Special) who was telling me about this GT/CS he used to own. (Yes, the one he spoke of above) The next day we went and looked at it. It was pretty worn out, but I had to have it. I purchased it June 12th, 1983 for $1500.00. I drove it home, and for about 3 months. I blew up the motor and parked it. Tearing it apart with Grand Dilusions of restoring it. LOL. I sold it as a basket case in 1993 for $1750.00 to Bob McClurg, and he started "Project Something Special". I purchased the car back on June 12th, 2005 and finished the restoration. The only car I truly loved, and still do. Mike
 

Diesel Donna

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 22, 2004
Messages
2,005
I just happened across mine when I took a Camaro to my mom's mechanic to check out to see if we wanted to buy it. The mechanic said it was a 'bucket of bolts' and he pointed to this lime gold CS and said "How about that one?".
The guy who owned it said he wanted $1,600.00. I said no way that was like a million dollars to me. (January 1974) He said okay how about $800.00? I took it for a drive still thinking that was a lot of money. Mom said okay and she kept the pink slip until I had her paid back for it.
I never heard of a CS before that day, only Shelby's. But I knew I wanted a car that didn't look like everybody else's.
 

John McGilvary

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2006
Messages
321
It was 1968, was looking for my first car.
Decided I wanted a Mustang packing the new 428CJ.
I had never seen a CS before I saw my CS/CJ lined up
with a bunch of CJ Mustangs.
There was never any question that my CS/CJ was the
Mustang for me.

John
 
P

PNewitt

Guest
I was 11 in early '68, and was playing baseball at the end of the street (a court) when our neighbor, who was a Ford dealer drove home a Highland green CS, which stopped our game cold.

They owned a '69 Shelby in taxicab yellow, so, I was all Shelby "hip" at the time.... I remember riding in the back seat to A&W, holding onto the roll bar. That was so cool to a 11 yr. old.

And in my 11yr. old mind, I thought: gee, I dunno...is that GT/CS a Mustang or a Shelby? What are they trying to do? I was confused.... Intrigued, but honestly, unimpressed...but still it got to me.

Then, in April 1974, I saw my Maroon CS for sale, and bought it for $1,500. I drove it, and was hooked. The people that sold it said they could pay off their '73 Torino with the money.

Little did I know when I saw that one in '68, where it would go (DUH!!).

It was actually on a trip to Washington State in the summer of 1985, in my CS that I decided to do a registry, and book, since I was 'fed up" with the lack of info, and mistakes in magazines... The inspiration hit me the moment when we passed the California border sign entering Oregon.

Paul N.
 
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CALIF GIRL

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 10, 2004
Messages
643
I never heard of a California Special. I was looking for a 67/68 mustang. I found a beat up 68 for $1000 in 1981.
We thought someone had added fiberglass to it. Later we discovered it was a GT/CS...Still love the car.
 

rvrtrash

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2003
Messages
3,649
In the late 70's I had a friend that had one and we spent a lot of time cruising in it or my Mach 1. I '03 I was looking at a Boss 351 to add to my collection and there was a '68 CS sitting there also. Both needed restoration and both went home with me.

Steve
 

njmop

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2005
Messages
160
Location
Belmar, NJ
It was about 1986 and I saw one speed by my family's old Ford wagon. It was blue with a black vinyl top. I was 11 and I didn't even know what a GT/CS was...didn't look like the rusted out 65 in our driveway! I never saw one in NJ again until the delivery truck brought mine back from Cali two years ago.
 

PFSlim

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
1,546
Location
Weatherby Lake, MO
It was 2003 and my brother and I were looking for a project to restore a mustang with my son Zach. We got in touch with a guy here in KC that had numerous mustangs. We agreed on a price for an Acapulco Blue 1968 GT Fastback and drove down to pick up the car. Once we looked the car over, it was in to bad of shape for us to restore (it needed a front clip). The owner suggested we take his GT/CS because it was in much better shape. I had looked on the internet some and recognized what the car was suppose to be. As well, I had a copy of a Mustang Restoration Guide with me that had a picture of a GT/CS in it. We liked the look, liked the fact that it was a "Special" car, and brought it home.

The picture shows exactly how the car looked in his shed. No wonder we couldn't tell what it was suppose to look like!!!!

Paul
 

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Mustanger

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Messages
1,974
Location
So Cal
I was in the 4th or 5th grade when I would walk by or ride my bike by a maroon GT/CS near my elementary school. It looked different to me due to its styling and especially the tail lights, but later on I was able to distinguish it from the Cougars and Shelbys.

I've always had a soft spot for the Cal Specials, and in recent times when I started searching for a '65 fastback, I noticed that the pricing was starting to get a little out of hand ... my thoughts went back to that old GT/CS by my elementary school and how unique and rare it was. And even though the CS may be undervalued (when compared to other Mustangs or musclecars in general), I felt this special Mustang was still a great buy.

After becoming a "regular" on this site and researching info and checking out several CSs for sale, I came upon Ron's car in Nov. '06. It seemed like a fair deal so I picked it up.

And now it's my daily driver ... I still need to make some improvements on it, but yeah, I'm one of those carguys that likes to drive 'em ...
 

rananim

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 15, 2002
Messages
71
Location
Poway, CA (near San Diego)
I was 16 and living in Guam. My parents were shopping next door to the Ford dealer and I went over to look at the Mustangs - they had been THE hot car since they came out a few years earlier. I saw a couple of CS's among the others and had no idea what they were or why they were different - I had never heard of a Shelby - but I liked them immediately. Later, while in college, I saw another one for sale for around $800. Being a starving college student and trying to make rent, there was no question of buying it. It was that 20 year old in me that caused me to buy the car I have now, and restore it.
Sven (Rananim)
 

gt bandit

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 26, 2005
Messages
460
Location
Perth , Western Australia
It was late 2005 , I was looking for a 68 fastback. Then I happened upon this website surfing one night.

Haven't looked back since ----- Have even tried to procure another one , but the chief banker at our house isn't that keen.
if they sold new ones over here then we would have 2 fer sure.
shaun
 

hookedtrout

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2003
Messages
1,929
Location
Idaho
I owned a 65 Mustang and I was at my brothers house when a friend of his pulled in driving what is now my 68 CS. I told him point blank that if he ever sold the car I would buy it. He assured me it would never be for sale as it has always been in his family. About 3-4 years later I saw it sitting at his place of employment with a for sale sign, I got the number called and told him to take out the for sale sign I would buy. It took a few minutes to convince him I was serious, I never even asked what the price was, just assured him I wanted the for sale sign removed. He did and I bought and I've owned it since.

Cory
 

68 special

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2004
Messages
524
While I was driving a friend home from school in 1977 in my '67, I pulled into his driveway and there was a mustang parked in the garage with about 20 years of stuff piled on it. I thought it was a Shelby because I'd never heard of a California Special. I had to check it out. Tried to buy it for several years afterwords, but "they were going to restore it". I eventually sold my '67 for financial reasons and made a promise to myself that if I ever bought another Mustang it was to be a GT/CS. I made that promise good in 1999. I made one mistake in selling my first Mustang. That won't happen again, I promise.


Bret
 

stang68cs

Active member
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
32
It was 1988 and I was stationed at Fort Jackson, SC. I spied an Acapulco Blue with white top at a local show and was hooked. Growing up in Iowa--well, that should say enough. I drove to several shows and didn't spy it again. I shipped off to 4 years in the Netherlands and one of my friends had given me his Mustang Magazine collection to look over and that is when I started to gather more information-bought both of Paul's books and read. I got shipped back to the Midwest and "had" to go to Fort Lewis, WA every summer and that is when I was in heaven!! I met Bill Norman and other enthusiasts and went to every Mustang show I could, but took me 2 years to find my "X" code. Divorce three years later forced sale and I am just biding my time for the next purchase! I want to say THANKS for everyone involved in maintaining this site and to everyone keeping it going. Without you spending your time and keeping us informed we would be back in 1984 with no information. Thanks for your selfless giving to help each us with the information this site gives us. As always- a BIG THANK YOU to Paul.
 
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