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Mach 1 Twister Special: The Story of a Rare, Popular, and Highly Sought-After 'Stang

Along with the Shelby-tuned GT350 and GT500, the Mach 1 is one of the most celebrated performance-oriented versions of the original Mustang. For the 1970 model year, 96 of them received special treatment, and today those cars are some of the most sought-after Mach 1s ever built.
Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special 14 photos
Photo: Mecum
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With the famed pony car becoming extremely popular with U.S. buyers in the second half of the 1960s, Ford’s Special Promotions Division began offering a range of limited editions, including territorial specials such as the High Country and Ski Country for the Colorado market, the Cardinal Edition for North Carolina, or the Shelby Little Red-inspired California Special for West Coast dealers.

In the second part of 1969, the division was approached by a Detroit-based real estate developer named Lawrence “Larry” LoPatin who wanted to buy a series of individually equipped, highly optioned versions of the Mach 1 and Mustang convertible. The idea was to use them as pace cars and promotional vehicles for the Michigan International Speedway, as well as four other tracks in Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, and California, all managed by LoPatin’s American Raceways Incorporated (ARI).

Soon after a deal was reached, 100 additional Mach 1s were added to the initial order, but Ford officials got wind of ARI’s financial struggles and impending bankruptcy, so the contract was swiftly terminated.

The Special Promotions Division was quick to react, and the ARI project was redirected to the Kansas City District Sales Office (DSO 53) which had previously requested a series of territorial specials.

Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special
Photo: Mecum
Thus, 96 Mustang Mach 1s, 90 Torino Cobras, and a couple of Rancheros were branded Twister Special and distributed to Ford's Kansas City district, which in 1970 comprised Kansas, Missouri, and the Northwest corner of Arkansas.

Undoubtedly, the star of this promotional production run was the ‘Stang. Like the high-performance 1970 Mach 1 it was based on, the Twister Special came with several exterior changes. These included headlights that were relocated inside the grill opening, a set of faux air intakes integrated into the outboard part of the fenders (where the 1969’s headlights were placed), a new front grille with different driving lights, slightly redesigned taillights (flat and recessed), twist style locking pins on the hood, and a Shaker hood scoop on select engine options.

Speaking of which, the Kansas City district’s initial plan was to have all 96 Mach 1s equipped with the 428ci (7.0-liter) Super Cobra Jet, a fearsome, drag-oriented V8 with a beefed-up crankshaft and connecting rods, that was conservatively rated at 335 hp (250 kW) and 440 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque. However, the Dearborn engine plant was unable to produce that many units in such a short amount of time, so a compromise had to be made. Ford ended up fitting the 428 SCJ into just 48 Twister Specials, while the other 48 received the new four-barrel Cleveland, a 351-ci (5.8-liter) that made 300 hp (224 kW) and 385 lb-ft (522 Nm) of torque.

Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special
Photo: Mecum
Out of the 48 units with either powerplant, half were delivered with the C6 three-speed automatic and the other half with four-speed manual gearboxes.

All 96 specials received Shaker-scooped hoods and were finished in Grabber Orange with contrasting black stripes and a unique tornado decal on each quarter panel. These cars also came with the Mach 1 deluxe black interior which consisted of bucket seats, molded door panels, woodgrain trims, a center console, and a three-spoke Rim Blow steering wheel.

Other performance features included, power steering, power brakes, Drag Pack suspension, and a Traction-Lok differential.

Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special
Photo: Mecum
After they were assembled at Ford’s Dearborn in October 1969, the Twister Special Mustangs were transported to Kansas City where a local detailer applied the unique decals mentioned above.

Along with the Torinos and Rancheros, the cars made their first public appearance on 7 November, at the Kansas City International Raceway where local dealers converged for a special event dubbed Total Performance Day.

Several Ford high-performance cars and parts were promoted throughout the first part of the day, but the main event came later that afternoon when the Twisters were unveiled. The crowds were in awe of the limited editions, and some rushed to order one.

Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special
Photo: Mecum
A cool and rare ‘Stang, the Mach 1 Twister Special is now extremely popular among enthusiasts and collectors. When a well-kept 351 pops up at an auction, it demands anywhere from $70.000 to $100,000. However, one of the 39 examples of the 428 is much more expensive. Earlier this year, the fully restored SCJ-powered beast with a six-speed auto that is featured in this article, was sold at a Mecum auction for no less than $214,500.

Ford and its Kansas City Sales District revied the limited edition in 1985 when 90 far-less spectacular Fox bodies with different paint finishes were given a special decal package. They were at it again in 2008, but this time, the cars were true high-performance specials painted Grabber Orange with black accents, like their 1970 predecessors.

In the following Nobody's Show episode originally posted on YouTube, Ford expert Jim Wicks introduces you to a beautiful 428 Twister.

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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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