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Rare 1969 Ford Mustang Limited Edition 600!

The 1st Generation Mustang initially dominated the pony car segment because it had precisely no competition. The Mustang created this segment, but it found itself losing sales when competition like the Camaro and Firebird finally appeared on the scene. In a bid to counter these lost sales and to provide a perception of value for money, Ford introduced several region-specific special editions. These were all a part of Ford’s “Mustang Stampede” sales campaign designed to win back market share. One of the more obscure packages was the Limited Edition 600. This is one of those cars, and its condition is striking. It was spotted by Barn Finder Rex M, so thank you so much for that, Rex. It is located in Del Mar, California, and has been listed for sale here on craigslist. The sale price for the Mustang has been set at $88,000.

Sales for the Mustang hadn’t reached crisis point by the time the Limited Edition 600 was released, but the drop had been substantial. The heady days of 1966 must have seemed a long way into the dim, dark past. In that year, Ford had sold an incredible 607,568 Mustangs. Wind the clock forward two years, and that total had dropped to 317,404 for 1968. Action needed to be taken, so several special editions were devised for 1969. Most of these were region-specific, and the Limited Edition 600 was a prime example. It was little more than a cosmetic enhancement and offered no performance gains. Interestingly, it was only offered on the Hardtop and Sportsroof variants, but not on the Convertible. It brought paint in one of two unique colors. In this case, what we got was a shade called Groovy Green. If that didn’t take your fancy, then you could always opt for Flower Power Red. Ah, the swingin’ 60s! The Limited Edition 600 was offered in the Philadelphia Sales District, but this one has found its way to sunny California. The paint is the correct shade and appears to be in good condition. It wears the right tape stripes down its flanks, along with “600” decals on the front fenders. These cars also featured a remote chrome driver’s mirror and a non-functional hood scoop. The spoilers would appear to be a later addition because they weren’t part of the package and don’t feature on the Marti Report. Rust doesn’t appear to be an issue, with the lower regions looking clean. The trim and chrome appear to be in good condition, and I can’t spot any problems with the glass. The wheels look good, but they aren’t original. The LE 600 Package brought 14″ steel wheels with full wheel covers and whitewall tires.

The LE 600 Package didn’t bring anything much in the way of luxury equipment to the Mustang’s interior. The trim materials were standard upholstery, but a buyer could load the vehicles up with the luxury items of their choice from the RPO List. In this case, the original owner chose to equip the interior with an AM radio, and little else. However, the radio has gone, and a retro stereo has been fitted in its place. The interior does present well, and there are no issues for the buyer to tackle here. The upholstery is in excellent condition, as is the carpet and dash. The pad doesn’t sport any cracks, and all of the plastic appears to be perfect.

It’s interesting that Ford released the Limited Edition 600, but then failed to explain what the name actually meant. Conventional wisdom states that they aimed to produce 600 vehicles, but other possibilities have been put forward over the years. As the Package was available with the base 6-cylinder engine, some believed that Ford aimed to extract a fuel consumption figure of 30mpg from the car. With a 20-gallon fuel tank, that would have resulted in a potential range of 600 miles. That sounds like an interesting theory, but it falls flat when you realize that other engines were available. The majority of these cars did feature a six, and one even rolled off the line with a 351 under the hood. This one was ordered with the 302-2V V8, backed by a 3-speed automatic transmission. This engine would produce 210hp and would allow the Mustang to gallop through the ¼ mile in 16.4 seconds. The owner doesn’t indicate whether the vehicle is numbers-matching, or even how well it runs and drives. Looking at the presentation of the engine bay shows some promise. If it runs and drives as well as it looks, then all should be well. The owner also refers to the fact that this is a 1-of-10 vehicle. That is a plausible claim. Given the rarity of the color and the fact that only a few of them were ordered with the V8, it is very possible. There is a Limited Edition 600 Registry, and working through that might confirm this claim. In addition to the Marti Report, the Mustang is being offered with all of its original factory documentation.

If Ford’s aim with the Limited Edition 600 was to sell 600 cars eventually, then the result was indicative of what was happening to the Mustang at that point. It seems that Ford was only able to sell 503 cars, making them an obscure rarity. The owner describes this one as being “100% all original.” As we have seen, there have been some changes made during its life. However, it is still a clean and tidy V8 Mustang, so I suspect that there will be an enthusiast out there who will be happy to give it a new home. Could it be you?

Comments

  1. Avatar Steve Bush Member

    Very sharp Mustang that you can drive now. But $88k? For this? It’s a low option 302-2V auto. In contrast, a very nice 1969 Mach 428CJ R code for sale here recently didn’t meet reserve at $74.1k and is now relisted at $109k.

    Like 21
    • Avatar David Kokkeler

      I agree, a might high, But it is a very nice car just not for that price.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar Bob_in_TN Member

    Let’s see…

    1969, a favorite year for many Mustang enthusiasts…. check
    Fastback body style, looks great…. check
    Period-correct color, very eye-catching…. check (though many people won’t like this particular color)
    Good, maybe excellent condition…. check
    Easy-to-live-with collectible, good parts availability, etc. …. check
    Price…. for the asking price, something is missing…. like “Mach” or “Boss” in the name.

    As Steve points out, I’m not sure what the seller is thinking. Probably just fishing. Surely he doesn’t think this rare, somewhat interesting trim package moves the value of this basic fastback into high-priced territory.

    Like 17
  3. Avatar Caozman

    It’s becoming rather comical what some people think these old cars are. You can pick up a fantastic numbers matching Challenger T/A for 75k, a nice Road Runner for the same, even a RR convertible for 60k. This is a basic Mustang fastback with an underpowered 302. Best of luck to the seller.

    Like 23
  4. Avatar Mitchell Gildea Member

    Huh. Never even heard of this special edition. Still wayyyy overpriced

    Like 20
  5. Avatar Steve R

    So, the seller thinks they hit the jackpot because the have an car that was sold new with an obscure, long forgotten regional dealer promotional package. Thats actually funny, they are fishing or delusional, maybe both. The package might ad a few thousand dollars to the cars value if sold in its home market, but that’s it. What makes it desirable it that it’s a 69 Fastback, but even that has limits, which are well below the sellers asking price.

    Steve R

    Like 17
  6. Avatar Classic Steel

    Wow 😮 i would rally this money towards a Shelby 67-70 …

    Like 6
  7. Avatar Sherminator

    This looks like one of those “my wife told me to sell” situations. Hard to believe no one will pay what it’s worth…better hold on to it unti the market improves. Well played…

    Like 11
    • Avatar CBT

      Do you happen to own a Marauder? Name seems familiar…

      Like 0
  8. Avatar Troy s

    Del Martians are a different lot, you could get cited for mowing the lawn on Sunday in Del Mar!! Got a nice horse racing track there by the way. Guess that’s why the price doesn’t really surprise me, no offense meant.
    I really think this a pretty car, now that it has those wheels on it, I dont even want to picture it with steels and covers’ plus white walls. That’s not groovy at all! Seems to me the region was all wrong here for this Groovy Green or Flower Power Red edition,,, more fitting in San Francisco not Philly. Ha, that had me chuckling.
    Maybe if it had at the least a 351W or something more interesting than a 302 barrel, maybe.

    Like 4
    • Avatar Euromoto Member

      Del Martians? Really? I don’t think so.

      Like 1
      • Avatar Troy s

        Yes, we all kinda have nicknames here in San Diego County, like El Cajon zoners, O-siders(Oceanside), I’ll stop at that, but it’s not considered offensive in any way really. Del Mar is a very expensive coastal town to live in, beautiful scenery. 88 grand for a curiou like this Muatang is pocket change compared to the many six figure cars I’ve seen on the road in that neighborhood. Stay well.

        Like 1
      • Avatar Steve R

        Most people don’t get that sort of “pocket change“ by spending their money foolishly. Nothing about this mustang that warrants anything close to the sellers asking price. There are a lot of stupid sellers out there that buy into the hype that low production numbers for meaningless options means a car is valuable. They often learn a hard lesson when when they can’t find any takers.

        Steve R

        Like 4
  9. Avatar K Gun Offense

    I am a Mopar guy anyways but a basic 302 Mustang with a few decorations for $88 grand is too high for even a Ford guy! Maybe if this version was about big blocks and performance, that price might be right. But it’s not. I was looking into a 1970 Roadrinner with a numbers matching hemi and tranny the other day for 100 grand . To me that is more thanb12 grand more exciting than a Mustang with a 302. Nice car though. Does not seem to need much to make it perfect. I just don’t see anything close to the money being asked. That special edition 600 might add a couple thousand to the value, but in my opinion that is about it. I would rather have any Mustang with a big block over this. Just my prwgetence!!!

    Like 9
  10. Avatar Phlathead Phil

    If this is what the Falcon morphed itself into I want one, but, not for 88 big ones.

    I’m kinda wondering why they didn’t use a car like this in “Back to the Future?”

    Color scheme is awesome!!

    Like 2
  11. Avatar gbvette62

    I remember the Limited Edition 600’s well. A family friend and local Ford dealer, Bob Morgan was in charge of storing and prepping about a third of the Limited Edition 600’s, before their introduction and distribution to other dealers. Bob’s dealership, Morgan Ford, was located in rural Medford NJ, which was predominantly farm country back then. It was quite strange to see a couple hundred lime green and bright orange (Flower Power Red looked more like Chevy Hugger Orange) Mustangs sitting in a field next to the dealership, that was usually full of new farm trucks and Country Squire wagons.

    I’m hardly an expert on Ford’s, but from what I remember, you couldn’t walk into a dealer and order a 600. They all showed up on Bob’s lot at about the same time and I think they were all built in one or two batches, either based on dealer stock orders, or how Ford decided to equip them. And yes they were mostly 6 cylinders, and mostly automatics, and all had white walls and fake mag wheel, 5 spoke full wheel covers. Most of them were painted Flower Power Red.

    I assume they were all built at Ford’s old Metuchen, NJ plant, since they were all destined for south Jersey, Delaware and eastern PA.

    Like 8
  12. Avatar Mark

    A lot of cabbage for an otherwise nice Mustang with special paint and a decal.
    Now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak, I’m glad there is a registry otherwise by next summer a total of 900 cars will have been “found”.

    Like 6
  13. Avatar David Bailey

    …Could the “600” designation have anything to do with the new 600 mile long NASCAR races?…Just throwing it out.(MICHIGAN, ATLANTA/Coca-Cola, etc.,.?)

    Like 3
  14. Avatar bone

    If I was the owner of this car, I know I’d get sick of people asking me why I painted it Mopar color

    Like 4
  15. Avatar Popawfox

    Pretty Mustang…but EIGHTY EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS?!
    People have lost their minds.

    Like 2
  16. Avatar A Smith

    I own a Groovy Green Fastback from the LE600 Stampede in the Philly area. Bandito was the name that was given to those cars. A stock Fastback in RESTORABLE condition runs 25K. Restored runs 40K. Mach 1 45K. 428 car 95K. 390 Mach 1 55-60k. 30 of these were built. 30 groovy green fastbacks. I am blessed to own a 1 of 30 car that is one of the most sought after cars on earth. I would much rather have this than a Tesla or any other 100K car that goes down in value. One thing is for certain…..this car will never go down in value. I remember in 1992, a guy told me that I would never see 4000 for my 69 fastback. I sold my first 69 fastback in 2004 for $14,300. Stupid stupid decisions I’ve made.
    I will never take under 6 figures for mine. Who else has one? 3 or 4 people? A car that has ORIGINAL COLOR that is being replicated today to look like it……plus, the new mustangs were marketed to replicate the old look. I will stick with mine over any 428 mach 1

    Like 0

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