Ford has unveiled a California Special version of the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, and it’s caused a bit of an argument in the office but not in the way you’d expect. The Mach-E’s a great car, so there’s no outcry over historic name use on an electric crossover. Instead, I reckon this EV makes the Mustang GT California Special coupe and convertible look downright tacky, but Mercedes doesn’t seem to agree.
First, a history lesson on the Mustang California Special. Back in the ’60s, southern California Ford district sales manager Lee Grey saw a Mustang coupe built by Shelby and immediately saw potential for a California-only special edition. After discussion back at HQ with key players like Lee Iacocca, a plan was set in motion. The first GT/CS, a 1968 model, featured a few notable cosmetic alterations including fiberglass scoops, a spoiler, and a rear panel featuring broad Thunderbird taillights. Interestingly, the California Special parts were designed by Shelby Automotive, but the GT California Special would be a whole lot less exclusive than a Shelby GT500. Sure, you had to live in California to buy it at first, but most featured the fairly normal 289 cubic-inch V8 and an automatic transmission. Unsurprisingly, it was a hit, and sales expanded as far out as Canada. Score.
When Ford went back to the ’60s for visual inspiration on the fifth-generation Mustang, it didn’t take long for the California Special nameplate to reappear. The 2007 Mustang GT California Special looked great, perfectly fit for the era. Chunky air dam, retro scoops, stripe package, job done. It’s the sort of car you could picture being on “The O.C.”, which is exactly what it needed to be. This successful revival prompted Ford to keep the package in the rotation, which brings us to today.
Unfortunately, when Ford was putting together the current Mustang GT California Special, it stumbled upon a particular shade of blue that simply doesn’t go great with a lot of stuff. Called Rave Blue, this bold medium shade is certainly an aesthetic choice, and when applied to accents like Ford’s done on the Mustang GT California Special coupe and convertible, adds a strong whiff of Autozone to a brand new sports coupe. Obviously, the most aesthetically questionable elements here are the blue-and-machined-finish wheels, which dominate the look like a giant anchovy on a Ritz cracker.
Add in the blue stripes down the sides and big blue trim pieces on the grille, and the result genuinely seems like an aftermarket job. It’s a polarizing, not especially tasteful thing, which makes the California Special package’s current form a bit baffling. Will enough people really go for this to make the $1,995 option package profitable? Our own Mercedes thinks it’s good, which is a little bit concerning because her taste in aesthetics is normally quite good.
Evidently, the California Special package for the Mustang GT coupe and convertible is polarizing, because Ford’s toned the treatment down for the the Mustang Mach-E GT California Special. Outside of a blue pony on the nose, the overall treatment is far more subtle than you get on the equivalent coupe. The graphics package has been reduced to a satin black over-the-top stripe, and although the little blue stripe-within-a-stripe is questionable in its own way, it’s subtle enough to be largely ignorable. It’s the same deal with the tiny blue “GT/CS” wordmarks on the wheels, and the small blue-accented badges on the lower doors, and even where the navy accents are in the upholstery.
The result is that the only new Mustang GT California Special you can buy that isn’t hideously vulgar happens to be electric. Who’d have thought? Oh, and if you want color on a regular Mustang coupe, why not spec it in orange, or fuchsia, or teal, or with that fantastic ’80s-inspired FX package that adds white wheels and plaid upholstery?
Mercedes’ Take
Back in the summer, I screwed up big time by losing the fob to a shiny new Ford F-350 Super Duty. The people of Ford were so kind and caring throughout my whole ordeal and had even sent out a driver to give me the second key to the truck. That driver raced from Detroit, Michigan to Hagerstown, Maryland, just to save my silly self.
That driver was like a knight in shining armor. He arrived right there in the calm between two major storm systems, the second of which would have ruined the interior of the bricked truck. My hero’s horse? A Mustang GT California Special from Ford’s press fleet. Apparently, since the driver was so willing to help me out, Ford let him drive any car he wanted.
The Mustang rolled up to the hotel with that distinct Mustang 5.0 V8 growl. But it wasn’t the sound that caught my attention the most. So many cars today are painted in boring, monochromatic shades. Everything is so white, gray, or black. This Mustang put a little color on the current trend. Yes, it was silver, but it also had lots of splashes of blue, from the badging to the grille. Pictures don’t do it justice because, in person, that blue is striking and beautiful. I also enjoyed how the blue continued inside, breaking up the sea of sleep-inducing black.
Would I have preferred the whole car to be painted in a dashing blue? Of course! But I’m also a sucker for cars wearing contrasting colors. It’s part of why I adore the Smart Fortwo so much. I’d also love the California Special if it were inverted and it was blue with silver accents.
Thomas wrote about this car in 2023 and most of our readers agreed with him that it was one ugly unit. I fully admit that I have questionable tastes. I mean, I did intentionally own two high-mileage Volkswagen Phaetons, four high mileage Volkswagen Passats, and just attempted to purchase a 190,000-mile Chevrolet Corvette C6. That ignores the five Smarts that some of our own readers have tried convincing me to get rid of. There’s no denying that I genuinely love the unloved.
But to me, if we’re going to be stuck in this world of everything being a dreary gray, black, or white, at least give me some color in other places. The only thing I really didn’t like was the fact that adding a splash of color added $1,995 to the price of the GT.
To me, the crossover version of the California Special, which adds $2,495, is nice, but way too mild. From a distance, it just looks like any other Mach-E to me. But the interior is really solid. I would have loved to see truly blue seats in the coupe for sure.
Either way, I’m going to dig my heels in and say the coupe version of the California Special is the better one.
The post There Is Only One Good Mustang California Special And It’s Not The One My Colleague Mercedes Thinks It Is appeared first on The Autopian.
