It would be an understatement to call the original Mustang a sensation, but so excited were dealers by Ford’s latest creation that they were tripping over themselves to create owners’ clubs and local special editions.

One dealer special in particular, inspired by the ’67 Shelby GT notchback prototype, caught Ford’s eye and in 1968 it decided to put the California Special into production. Now, 50 years later, Ford is bringing it back with a new, tech-filled and colorful special edition.

The 2019 Mustang GT California Special pays homage to that classic with a special appearance pack that includes graphics, badging, and more.

A fading stripe goes from the 5.0 badge to the rear fender scoop while the grille gets blacked out. Under that, the California Special gets Performance Pack 1 splitter and it wears special five-spoke painted rims.

The trunk, the (rich black Miko suede trimmed) seats, and the floor mats all wear California Special (or just CS) script badging.

All 2019 Mustang GT manual buyers, not just California Special buyers, will also be able to benefit from rev-matching technology, that predicts downshifts and blips the throttle for smoother shifting. 

Drivers of the six-cylinder eco-boost model, meanwhile, will notice that they can leave quietly for work, thanks to good neighbor mode. That’s because the EcoBoost now gets the same active valve performance exhaust as is offered on the GT.

With quad tip exhausts and several modes to cycle through, the V6 can now also be as calm or cantankerous as you want it to be.

Meanwhile, buyers of all Mustangs will be able to choose from new retro-inspired colors, Velocity Blue and Need for Green, in addition to the Dark Highland Green, which is only available on the Bullitt. 

“No doubt, 2019 is an exciting year for Mustang enthusiasts, especially fans of our California Special and Bullitt models,” said Corey Holter, marketing manager. “This year further targets hardcore Mustang enthusiasts who want even more performance from Bullitt, while new technology including rev-matching on manual transmission equipped Mustang GTs and active valve performance exhaust on EcoBoost ® models means even more thrills.”

The 2019 Mustang goes on sale this summer.

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