If anyone ever had any doubts about Ford’s desire in the 1960s to build road cars that were seriously fast, then they really need to look no further than this 1968 Mustang GT Fastback to see just how serious they were. With an engine bay filled with a 428ci Cobra Jet motor, this is a car that could really haul the mail. Owning one of these was a rare privilege, so the fact that this is 1-of-2 in the possession of the current owner makes him one lucky person. However, he has now decided that one is enough, so this one has been placed on the market. It is located in Angola, New York, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. With bidding having reached $57,150 and the reserve now met, this ground-pounding beast is set to head off to a new home.
Finished in Wimbledon White, the Mustang received a repaint in this original color some years ago. Beneath that paint is a solid vehicle that still has all of its original floors. Rust doesn’t appear to be an issue, because while the photos that the owner supplies aren’t the clearest, they do paint a positive picture. The panels look nice and straight, while the external trim and glass all appear to be in good condition. It would appear that the owner of the Mustang is something of an enthusiast, and he has attempted to retain as much originality with the car as possible. When we look at the car overall, you will notice a couple of non-original components. However, the genuine parts are present, and they will be refitted to the car before it heads off to its new owner.
I wish that we had a better photo of the engine, but this is the best that we can do. Nestling in the engine bay is a 428 Cobra Jet V8, which makes a claimed 335hp. Of course, those in the know state that this figure is extremely conservative, and that a figure of around 410hp was closer to the truth. Backing this monster is a 4-speed manual transmission, while power then finds its way to the road through a 3.50 Traction-Lok rear end. In keeping with the desire to go fast in a straight line, the Mustang also comes equipped with power front disc brakes, but there is no power assistance for the steering. So, how fast was it? How does a 0-60 time of 5.1 seconds and a ¼ mile ET of 13.8 seconds sound? Yeah, I think that it sounds pretty good too. The story of this Mustang goes something like this: The original owner purchased the Mustang to partake in a spot of street racing, so I guess there are no real surprises there. Sadly, he passed away, and the car found its way to its 2nd owner. He continued this tradition before he slowly transformed it to compete in the Super Stock class. In 1973, the car was then restored to its original specifications and did the rounds of shows for a while before being placed into storage. The current owner then purchased the car in 1999. He returned it to active duty, and has retained and maintained it ever since. Due to its largely competition life, it now has a mere 22,600 miles showing on the odometer. Tracing the story of the Mustang has not been that difficult, because both of the previous owners of the vehicle were known to the current owner. The car is said to run and drive well, and it does feel nice and strong. Included with the car will be the original and correct air cleaner assembly with the flap and original foam seal.
Looking inside the Mustang reveals a vehicle that was about as “bare bones” as you were likely to find in the Mustang range in 1968. The seats are the standard buckets, with the interior trimmed in black vinyl. There is no console, and with this being a “radio delete” GT, the only music that you will be listening to will be the sweet tune being sung by that glorious 428. Of course, you do get a decent array of gauges, all the better to monitor the health under the hood. The steering wheel that is currently fitted to the Mustang isn’t original. However, the original wheel is present, and the owner will be refitting this to the car. Generally speaking, the interior presents quite well, and while it isn’t pristine, it has the right appearance for a survivor with a competition history.
There’s a lot to be said for owning a beautifully preserved or restored classic car, but there is also a lot to be said for owning a car with a bit of history behind it. This car represents the latter, and that just adds a layer of interest to what would already be considered one of Ford’s great road cars from the 1960s. That’s why I’m not surprised that bidding on the Mustang has been so strong, and why it is set to head to a new home very soon.
Looks like a great car for someone. I had to pass on my chance many years ago when a friend of a friend had a ’68 Gt 428 4-speed in baby blue. I couldn’t scrape up the $1,800 he wanted for it at the time and I’m sure both he and the car are now long gone. Were all of the 428 cars cobra jets or was that an addition to the base 428? I don’t recall the cobra emblems but I do remember the GT badging on it.
The 1968 Mustangs (and Cougars) with a 428 were all R code cars which is the CJ. There were no regular 428 engines installed in those cars. The regular 428 can be found in cars like the Galaxie and Thunderbird. The Cobra decals on the fenders of this car are not original. If anything it would have had the GT emblems.
Will be interesting to see what this beauty brings. at 57 large now. Good luck to the new owner. IIRC, think these cj’s were built ar Tasca ford in Providence, RI??
Would love to rip thru the gears in this baby one time!!
Cheers
GPC
Tasca came up with the engine package with off the shelf part numbers. 428 police shortblock, w/390GT cam, 2 degrees advanced, medium riser 406 or 427 heads and topped it w/735 holley. They drove a hardtop mustang w/ the combination to Detroit to show Ford, and the rest is, as they say, history.
Cool car, it would be more interesting if it was still in race trim.
Steve R
I always find it odd that people who supposedly buy a car for drag racing get a car with a 4spd.
In the 60’s automatic transmissions were nowhere as advanced as they are today. There weren’t really any high stall converters, I’m not sure the trans brake had been invented yet. It wasn’t until bracket and index racing became popular until automatics came into their own. That wasn’t the case when this car was being raced.
Steve R
Not to argue with you, but the B&M Hydro-Stick was quite competitive on the tracks of the 1960s. I recall Top Fuel racers using beefed up Powerglide transmissions as well. To your point, it wasn’t until the 1970s that street racers began to embrace automatics. One thing I never saw on cars in my time was the ignition cutout/air shifter common to motorcycle racers. In the bad old days it was common for clutches to fail explosively, and this phenomenon was a huge factor in Don Garlits moving the powertrain behind the driver in the rail dragster classes. Steel scattershields gave way to Kevlar blankets in the other classes but for street driven cars a missed shift can result in the loss of the driver’s feet and/or legs.
In 1960, I ran the heavy, 4 spd Hydramatic in my Olds powered 34 Ford, and the transmission was indestructable when mated to a warmed over Olds, suited for street and strip.
I never ran one, but the powerglides were also built to handle an awful amount of horsepower.
By 1967, all three manufacturers had transmissions that could handle the abuse of high horsepower engines, but a lot of people just enjoyed stirring a 4 spd,
I have a 335 hp 390, as well as a 428 CJ, and the 428 is a torque monster compared to the 390.
In the late 70s, I opted not to buy a dual quad Mustang SCJ engine, complete with the trim and toploader transmission, and have regretted it ever since. That was the engine that made serious horsepower!
Bob
Thank you both for the correction
Steve R
I’ve owned several big block Fords and all had a C6 auto. I preferred the auto to a stick because if you could get a decent hole shot, an auto trans was hard to beat. I’m surprised that the photos are so poor, you’d think for the money, the seller would have done better. Nice car but destined for someone with deep pockets, not the average guy. Too bad a lot of us are priced out of the cars we grew up with.
The Chrysler automatic had ruled Super Sock class into the late 60’s but the usage of a C-6 or turbo 400 was more than a match in the class these ran in.
This is a sweet ride!! The only thing better at the time would be a Cobra itself!! The real deal muscle car!!
I know the horsepower would be exciting in a Cobra, but having ridden in, and driven both, I would prefer the Mustang for its versatility.
Nowadays, the point is moot, because I would want the Cobra to sell and make the big bucks, so I could buy a big block Mustang GT. :-)
Can you tell by the number of postings, that it is raining cats and dogs and I am stuck inside? (That’s my excuse)
Bob
Because if you knew how to drive a 4 spd it was a great deal faster than a automatic.
Solid as they get for Ford performance. It was an early build ’68 cobra jet Mustang that caused all the excitement in hot rod magazine, mid thirteens at around 105 mph, which brought the statement to some effect as being “the quickest production car known to man”. Great car here, for Ford fans only.
22,000 miles a quarter mile at time.That is an awful lot of stress on the entire car. Just sayin’
If I recall correctly a taska built the first ones because the 390 was not competing well against the BBC. Once Ford saw taska,s success they jumped on the bandwagon but few were built in 68.
Bob Tasca was told by the police if they saw that Mustang again they were gonna run it out of town, ha, great story about that. The story of how the 428 cobra jet came about is quite interesting, a near miss.
Luv that it survives ! Wounder about the one he is keeping ?
My plan? To go look at and probably buy a 1968 Wimbledon White Mustang GT Fastback with the slow 390GT, PS, PDB, black deluxe interior, 3.25 posi, and C6 automatic. Price? Less than half the price as this one went for. Either way, S code 68’s are still a rare breed and I plan to own one. This will make Mustang number 7!
I bought a 1968 Mustang GT fastback in Wimbledon White and Blue interior. It had the S code 390 and 4 speed. Ford said 390, Howard Dehart at Holman Moody said 410. It was one of the last 390s built before the 428 CJ changeover so it had some “non-390” parts in it. It would run well over 125 in third gear and fourth , well usually run out of straight roads in the hills of Virginia before the car did.
Sounds interesting Fordman28, a stroked 390 in a Mustang from the factory. Same stroke as the 428. How was the traction off the line?
Sweet!