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1968 What motivated you to buy a 1968 GT/CS?

classicsguy

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2002
Messages
1,519
I remember when I first saw a 1968 GT/CS in a show here in Puerto Rico about 7-8 years ago, I was at the show with a 1965 GT coupe I had at the time and speaking to some friends when I saw this rare 1968 Highland Green Mustang enter the show and went right after the car to check it out. I was glad to see that the guy that stepped out of the Mustang was a guy that had sold me a Corvette years ago and immediately asked about the rare Mustang. He is a specialty car dealer here and told me the car was a Genuine California Special with a 302ci engine and a 4 speed that he brought from California along with 3 other cars including a 1970 Boss 302. I then started to do more research about the California Special and said to myself that one day I will own one!!

So,what motivated you to buy a California Special?
 

Midnight Special

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Messages
3,713
Location
Grass Valley, California
...Never heard of one before getting my first in 1978, but seeing it drive by where I worked every day got me to dreaming and drooling ;-) Some months later; it came up for sale in the paper and I quickly hocked my '69 fastback to a friend and grabbed it!

Its rarety and appeal combined with common Mustang technology made for an irresistable package.
 

aemoo28

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 1, 2007
Messages
1,127
Location
The Great Northwest
I was motivated to buy my '68 CS while researching my '08 CS and saw this forum and how into your cars you all were.

I googled CS and found this forum. It was reading this forum that convinced me to make the decision to buy the '08 CS instead of the '07 Shelby 350 ($1K less).

Someone in my car club wrenched his '68 CS out of his garage to bring it to a meeting when he heard I bought a new one. It was the 1st one I'd ever seen, and wow, I had to have one!

It was my '08 that brought me to the '68 version. It was so impressive to learn about this rare '68 Mustang I never had heard of. One year later I finally have one, and the support and advice from everyone here keeps me going.
 

cnassif

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
96
Location
Chula Vista, CA
My parents bought one new in LA in 68. Passed it to my grandmother and then to me in 89. Didn't have the money to fix it right and spent thousands on it. Finally had to sell (as I was poor). Just bought a replacement 3 months ago.

There's something about the body style. The scoops, deck lid, quarter panels, stripes...it's just a great looking car.
 

hookedtrout

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2003
Messages
1,929
Location
Idaho
Owned a 65 Mustang in 1980 and saw my first CS and thought WOW! that is way cooler looking than my simple plain 65. Told the guy if he ever sold it I would buy it. He told me no chance as it had been in his family it's entire life. 2 years later I saw it with a for sale sign at his place of employement. Bought it, had it ever since, plan to pass it down to my eldest son, at least that is what he tells me my plans are?

Cory
 

sam

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
494
Saw one when they 1st came out in 68 and really didn't know what it was. Not many of these made it back East....especially the Northeast. When I had an opportunity to buy one 12 years ago, it brought back those memories of the 68 Mustang and I figured a California Special would definitely be a rare car indeed.

Sam
 

GTCS95616

Well-known member
Joined
May 25, 2004
Messages
51
First started driving in the mid-seventies and saw a couple of GT/CS's in the town where I live, but did not have the money to buy one. Now that I have one and the money to fix it up the way I want, I don't have the time to do so.
 

JohnnyQuest515

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 15, 2008
Messages
302
Location
Spicewood, Tx.
My uncle had an original and always remembered how it was "different".

Forty years later and it is something else.

Exclusive, different.........that's me.

JQ
 

68 GTCS

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 26, 2006
Messages
130
Location
KERSEY, COLORADO
First saw one in 92, along with several other Mustangs including a couple of Shelbys. I had never seen such a awsome looking car, and made a vow that one day I would get one. As a single parent purchasing a classic car was out of the question. About 13 years later after raising my daughter I found my California Special 302/auto, 1 year later I found my 68 High Country A code 4 speed car. :grin:

Kevin
 

Perkchiro

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2004
Messages
1,112
Location
Nixa, MO
My first car was a GT/CS at age 17 (1974). Sold it after my second year in college and regretted it ever since. I loved that car. I bought another in 2002 and restored it and I love this car too and hopefully, I will never part with it.
 

hicountrybob

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 16, 2003
Messages
579
Location
Arvada, CO
First saw one in 92, along with several other Mustangs including a couple of Shelbys. I had never seen such a awsome looking car, and made a vow that one day I would get one. As a single parent purchasing a classic car was out of the question. About 13 years later after raising my daughter I found my California Special 302/auto, 1 year later I found my 68 High Country A code 4 speed car. :grin:

Kevin
Excuse me, but what is an "A" code in a 1968 Mustang, Kevin? Bob T. here!
 

admin

Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Aug 18, 2002
Messages
2,049
JQ, I think what Bob meant is that there was no A code in 1968. The 4 bbl 289 was replaced with the 4 bbl 302. He was politely giving Kevin a hard time for a typo. :smile:
 

clubpro

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Messages
665
Growing up in Fremont I lived about 10 miles for the Ford plant in Milpitas, 2 miles from the GM plant and 5 miles from the Peterbilt plant. Every time family or friends came to visit we would go take a tour of one of the plants. I remember as a 10 year old going to the Ford plant and seeing all of the Mustangs being produced and thinking that it was one of the coolest cars ever made.

20 years later I bought my first Mustang a 66 2+2 and I have owned a Mustang or 2 ever since. I went to Knotts in 2003 and was reacquainted with the California Special and that led to buying Paul's book to learn more about these special cars. After reading the book my search began. My search led me from northern California to southern California where I finally found my CS in 1998.

I was teaching high school auto shop and thought that the CS would be a great project car for my shop classes. The students were excited to have a classic to work on as most of them were driving fairly new imports. I was excited to teach them all about the process of taking the car apart, tagging and bagging the parts and deciding what needs to be saved and restored and what needs to be replaced.

To make a long story shorter the school administration decided that the students could not work on the car because I owned the car and was gaining from their labor. A perfect example of bad teachers becoming administrators who had no clue what they were doing. They ended up deciding to shut the industrial arts program down and the students helped me take the car home where it became my weekend project.

The car now sits in my garage waiting for paint and to be put back together. The goal is to have it finished by spring which will be 10 years after I purchased it.

Cheers,

Ron
 

hookedtrout

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2003
Messages
1,929
Location
Idaho
You still in Fremont Ron?

My father lives in Fremont and he works for a guy that owns a printing/advertising business, prints adds for Safeway and such. My dad works for the guy restoring Stanley Steamers for his private collection, the Stanleys are a hobby of his and dad has worked for him for years doing nothing but building and restoring them.

Cory

Growing up in Fremont I lived about 10 miles for the Ford plant in Milpitas, 2 miles from the GM plant and 5 miles from the Peterbilt plant. Every time family or friends came to visit we would go take a tour of one of the plants. I remember as a 10 year old going to the Ford plant and seeing all of the Mustangs being produced and thinking that it was one of the coolest cars ever made.

20 years later I bought my first Mustang a 66 2+2 and I have owned a Mustang or 2 ever since. I went to Knotts in 2003 and was reacquainted with the California Special and that led to buying Paul's book to learn more about these special cars. After reading the book my search began. My search led me from northern California to southern California where I finally found my CS in 1998.

I was teaching high school auto shop and thought that the CS would be a great project car for my shop classes. The students were excited to have a classic to work on as most of them were driving fairly new imports. I was excited to teach them all about the process of taking the car apart, tagging and bagging the parts and deciding what needs to be saved and restored and what needs to be replaced.

To make a long story shorter the school administration decided that the students could not work on the car because I owned the car and was gaining from their labor. A perfect example of bad teachers becoming administrators who had no clue what they were doing. They ended up deciding to shut the industrial arts program down and the students helped me take the car home where it became my weekend project.

The car now sits in my garage waiting for paint and to be put back together. The goal is to have it finished by spring which will be 10 years after I purchased it.

Cheers,

Ron
 

clubpro

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Messages
665
No I left Fremont the day after I graduated from high school in 1976 and only have been back to visit just a few times it's just not the same anymore. The Ford plant is gone as is the Peterbilt plant and the GM plant is now the NUMMI plant where you will see Toyota products being built oh boy!

I would love to see those Stanley Steamers sometime.

Cheers,

Ron
 

68 GTCS

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 26, 2006
Messages
130
Location
KERSEY, COLORADO
Sorry for the misprint, Bob,
My HCS a 289 2V, (factory)4 Speed car. My 67 is a 289 4v auto. I got them mixed up. I must have too many.

Thanks,
Kevin
 
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