Hey has anyone ever heard of a 1968 Shelby California Special? My wife has had this car for a while and some of the facts about the car don't make sence. The paint skeme is the blue Cal. Special but the engine is a cobra engine. The wheels look like the ones from the cobra and do not match the normal Cal. Special. The story that my wife was told was that there were only 50 made and that it is a Shelby California Special. Can anyone help identify this car and/or does anyone know who can definitively tell me what kind of car it is....Thanks alot

 

Here is a pic of the car and you will see what I mean.

 

There were more than 50, but it's still a pretty rare Mustang. It was a way to mate luxury with Shelby performance, I believe. The previous owner must have liked the performance idea more and gone with the Shelby wheels.

 

One last pic...Any comments welcome. Thanks again.

 

"There were more than 50, but it's still a pretty rare Mustang." How did you know that? I tried to look up info on the car and kept hitting dead ends. I can find info on California Specials and Shelby GT's but nothing with the Cal. Special paint skeme with the Cobra engine. Is this car just a California Special or is this car something that Shelby made? Thanks for your help.

 

It was a Shelby influenced car so maybe the owner ran with the idea by putting on Shelby wheels. The good book says about 5000 models were produced with this package. Still a sharp car!

 

The 428 4bbl Cobra Jet V-8 was available that year. 335hp not too shabby an option. Cellbio, there are numerous books out there. I have "Standard Catalog of Mustangs 1964-2001" by Brad Bowling. Alot of others here have the same book if not others with even more details. Got mine at Barnes and Noble.

Here is the quote on your car. "A very unusual package was promoted by West Coast Ford dealers in 1968-the Shelby-influenced GT/CS California Special. Available only in coupe form, the GT/CS included a Shelby-style decklid with a spoiler, sequential taillights, and a blacked-out grille (minus Mustang identification). Wheelcovers were the same ones used on 1968 GTs, but without GT identification. About 5000 Mustangs were produced with this package, although a similar High Country Special was sold in smaller numbers in Colorado".

Anyone got a picture of the High Country Special??

 

I thought the High Country Special was just a decal/emblem for a regional promotion. I could be wrong about that though.

I've always liked that style tail lights on the early Mustangs. IIRC they were from the '65 T-bird.

 

So are you saying that all the California Specials had the Cobra engine? Do you think that the previous owner just added the Shelby wheels? Here is the puzzleing thing when my friend looked up the ven number he said that the car was originally black. Did the dealership paint it with the Cal. Special paint scheme or did it come that way from the factory? Thanks..

 

I've seen California Specials in black and lime green, never in blue. The 428CJ was an option in them, so some obviously don't have one. However, these were fairly pricey in their day compared to the average Mustang so a good number did have a 428CJ in them.

If a previous owner put Shelby wheels on it, then it's not much of a stretch to consider they may have re-painted it blue and re-applied the striping.

 

This one is kinda blue. I don't know if that was an availible color though.

 

Here is a pic of the 1968 HC.

 

Check out Timeline: 1968 Mustangs

 

That helped alot. I think that the story that we were told was just that, a story. Oh well it is still a nice classic. Thanks for all your posts..

 

People here are always glad to help.

 

I thought the GT/CS cars didn't have the "GT" on their hubcaps. Now I'm curious.

Cellbio, did you check out the link to the GT/CS website that Brad has in his timeline section? Pretty good source of info. Good Luck.

 

That color appears to be Gulfstream Aqua and the available blue colors for the GT/CS and just about all other '68s were Acapulco blue, Presidential blue, and Gulfstream aqua. The High Country Special is nearly identical to the GT/CS besides the badge on the rear quarter says High Country Special.

As for the "cobra" engine... is your engine the 428 CobraJet? becuase back then you could order just about any engine available for the GT/CS and if its not the 428 then they probably just placed Cobra valve covers on it get more of the Shelby parts on it.