The 1968 Ford Mustang was largely a rerun of the prior year, which had seen the pony car’s first restyle since being introduced in 1964. Sales were down, but that was because competition was flooding the market by that time (everyone was in the game now except Dodge). This beautiful ’68 fastback is a GT which is original in many respects (such as the paint). But it has been treated to a host of mechanical refreshments, suggesting the Ford was in storage for a considerable time.
Physically, the 1967 and 1968 Mustangs were hard to tell apart, with the new side marker lights required by the Feds as a way to identify a ’68 on sight. Under the hood, the basic 289 cubic inch V8 was replaced by a 302 mid-year and that’s what’s under the hood of this car, presumed to be numbers matching. It has been rebuilt at just 51,000 miles, so this sweet ride isn’t quite a survivor in the technical sense.
A Marti Report has been secured for this Ford and it’s considered to be one of only two built exactly the same way in 1968 (per the seller). From the engine/ transmission combination to the GT package, colors, and other trim, it supposedly only had one twin back in the day. The Sunlit Gold paint is original (with one blemish on the rear passenger quarter panel), but a lot of other things have been rebuilt or replaced. This includes the upholstery up front, exhaust, starter, clutch, battery, water pump, fuel pump, and lots more.
Located in Kelseyville, California, the seller is asking “top dollar” for this GT. Will the condition of the car plus its rarity in terms of production numbers make it a solid investment? Well, that’s in the eye of the beholder (or I might say the buyer) and this cool Mustang is available here on eBay for $67,000 OBO.
Having not followed Mustangs as much as other cars, I guess I overlooked that Mustang GT models in those years could have a 302; I thought all GT’s were 390’s.
” I thought all GT’s were 390’s.”
That is only true for the Cougars.
There are some 1968 Cougar GTs built with the R code 428 engine.
And a few 427 GT-Es
The GTE option package is different than the GT option package.
You could get a GT with a 289/302
Take the “1 of 2” with a grain of salt. My 1968 Mustang convertible is “1 of 1” because it was ordered with a pinstripe, while five similar cars were not. Marti reports are wonderful resources, but once you get beyond body style, engine, transmission, color, and a few key options, the statistics really aren’t meaningful; with the vast array of options available, many Mustangs are “1 of 1.”
Well said CCFisher. Another issue is that it is easy to misunderstand or mis-interpret how the data is presented. But having the resource is wonderful.
Several years ago I heard Kevin Marti make a presentation on how he ended up being able to license the data. It was a years-long adventure in dealing with a big corporation with its quirks and bureaucracy.
Dear Buyer,
Please DO NOT make this into an Elenor Clone or a Bullit tribute. There are too many of those and to few of these original looking cars available.
Thanks,
Gary
The only Eleanor clone i want to see is 1 like in the 42 min youtube video,
Gone in 60 seconds (1974)
Oddly, i have never seen such a clone in the flesh.
Well said.
Mark Twain once said,” …There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics”.
Marti Reports are good documentation, and subject to interpretation by the end user.
Based on this mustangs paint color I would believe this could have been a HERTZ rental car…anyone know that history?
Not likely, the Marti report says it was ordered for retail, not fleet.
Steve R
That’s a nice looking car but I don’t see it being $60K+ nice
My dad ordered a 68 fastback in sunlit gold from Homer Heller Ford and he had to wait six months for it. It had a white vinyl interior.
The worst wait for some people was for an sd-455 firebird – only to find after a long one – that the order could not be fullfilled.
A handsome little beast it is. Looks to be clean and straight. Would be ideal for preservation. Is that 3 or 4 speeds forward?
One of two! Big deal, two made with the AM radio. Won’t add any value because of that.
Beautiful looking GT.. surprised to see a 302 under the hood. I noticed the exhaust manifolds must be special. They look like headers but from underneath the vehicle I don’t know. But they are different. How clean the chassis looks. When was the last time we seen the mustang of this year look this good! I just hope the next buyer leaves it the way it is it’s too nice to anything else to it. Bring it to car shows and cruises enjoy it. Good luck to the seller. 🐻🇺🇸
Those are headers. Shorty headers like this have been popular for a while, you get a performance gain without giving up ground clearance. If you Google “shorty header” you will find pictures, they are available for nearly every popular make and model. The ones on this car look like a premium brand due to the thick flange and exterior coating.
Steve R
Beautiful mustang and always one of my favorite years. However, the ad says 51,426 miles but the odometer in the picture show about 81k . What am I missing here?
Not original numbers matching starter? Hard pass.
What i dont understand is that the NOTCHBACK Mustang with a big trunk opening, not the fastback sold the most by far – incredible numbers for the 1st gen. So why does Ford come out with ONLY a fastback in 2005, & one that seats only 2, instead of 4 like the old ones did prior to ’79 models?
& also why don’t they offer a less expensive to buy/insure base model with say 175-200 hp?