Photo: Mecum
Most of the special edition cars we get to see have some momentous story behind them. Whether we’re talking about an anniversary model or the tool chosen to celebrate whatever tie-up between companies, these vehicles often end up on the collectors’ market with high prices because of this.
The Mustang we have here is too a special car, but a peculiar one at that. It’s officially titled 1990 Ford Mustang LX 7 Up Edition, and it is the result of an interesting chain of events.
Back in 1990, the people making and selling the 7 Up soft drink were trying to get more attention by tying themselves up some more with one of America’s favorite sports, basketball. Targeting young college students and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 7 Up wanted to run a promotion whose prize should have been something spectacular.
So American carmaker Ford was tapped to produce 30 special edition Mustangs to be handed over as prizes to whoever sank a basketball from center court. Ford was hyped by the idea, and agreed, but by the time it made just two of these cars, 7 Up for some reason canceled the event and no longer needed the cars it demanded.
Instead of getting annoyed by the decision, Ford’s higher-ups decided to seize the moment, especially given how the Mustang nameplate was celebrating that year its 25th anniversary. So instead of making 30 Mustang 7 Ups, they decided on a much larger, 5,000-units run based on the LX convertible.
The company ended up producing a little over 4,000 of them, blending the appeal of the LX with the performance of the 5.0-liter engine and an automatic transmission. The cars became known as the Mustang 7 Up, not in small part thanks to the Emerald Green paint and the white top and interior.
Of the entire run, just a little over 260 reached Canadian dealers, and the one we’re staring at now is one of them. We found it to be the perfect reason for us to reminisce about the marketing blunder all those years ago, especially given how it is for sale as “the lowest mileage Canadian 7 Up Edition in existence” with 561 miles (903 km).
The Mustang is listed on the lot of cars going under the Mecum hammer in mid-May in Indianapolis, and the seller hopes to fetch as much as $40,000 for it.
Back in 1990, the people making and selling the 7 Up soft drink were trying to get more attention by tying themselves up some more with one of America’s favorite sports, basketball. Targeting young college students and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 7 Up wanted to run a promotion whose prize should have been something spectacular.
So American carmaker Ford was tapped to produce 30 special edition Mustangs to be handed over as prizes to whoever sank a basketball from center court. Ford was hyped by the idea, and agreed, but by the time it made just two of these cars, 7 Up for some reason canceled the event and no longer needed the cars it demanded.
Instead of getting annoyed by the decision, Ford’s higher-ups decided to seize the moment, especially given how the Mustang nameplate was celebrating that year its 25th anniversary. So instead of making 30 Mustang 7 Ups, they decided on a much larger, 5,000-units run based on the LX convertible.
The company ended up producing a little over 4,000 of them, blending the appeal of the LX with the performance of the 5.0-liter engine and an automatic transmission. The cars became known as the Mustang 7 Up, not in small part thanks to the Emerald Green paint and the white top and interior.
Of the entire run, just a little over 260 reached Canadian dealers, and the one we’re staring at now is one of them. We found it to be the perfect reason for us to reminisce about the marketing blunder all those years ago, especially given how it is for sale as “the lowest mileage Canadian 7 Up Edition in existence” with 561 miles (903 km).
The Mustang is listed on the lot of cars going under the Mecum hammer in mid-May in Indianapolis, and the seller hopes to fetch as much as $40,000 for it.
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