Ford Mustang California Special heading to South Africa

With the current generation Ford Mustang nearing the end of its lifecycle, an all-new model is due next year, the local arm of the Blue Oval has confirmed the availability of the limited edition Mustang California Special.

A nameplate first used in 1968 by Ford dealers in California to denote a series of bespoke exterior and interior touches, the designation officially returned in 2007 as an in-house tribute to the original by Ford Motor Company.

Subsequently, it went on to become available in other US states and since earlier this year, for the first time, in Europe as well.

Now approved for South Africa, only 100 examples will be made available in GT Fastback guise, a turnaround from Europe and North America where the badge normally resides on the cabriolet.

Externally, the California receives an ebony black honeycomb pattern grille with a Race Red GT/CS badge as featured on the original, the same front splitter as the GT, red, black and grey stripes at the base of the doors with California Special scripting that only becomes visible in high sunlight, and grey 19-inch alloy wheels.

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A choice of eight colours will be provided, including two new hues; Cyber Orange and Atlas Blue.

While Ford didn’t divulge any details of the interior, items available on the European California, which are likely to be carried over, include GT/CS embroidered floor mats, leather seats with Miko suede inserts as well as red stitching, a carbon hex aluminium finish on the instrument cluster and Mustang California Special badges.

Having reshuffled the Mustang line-up last year, which saw the removal of the 2.3 EcoBoost engine, the California, as with the GT updated in 2019, will derive motivation from a single powerunit; the normally aspirated 5.0 Coyote V8 that pumps out 331kW/529Nm.

As with the GT and Mach 1, the General Motors co-developed ten-speed automatic gearbox prevails as the sole transmission option, with the six-speed manual reserved for the latter only. No performance figures were revealed.

While a local launch date remains unknown, chances are it will occur within the next few weeks along with the confirmation of pricing expected to bridge the gap between the GT and Mach 1.