1968 Ford Mustang

After the major 1967 redesign of the Mustang the 1968 model saw very little in the way of change. There were some government required changes that all had to do with increasing safety of passengers, but the actual design and features of the 1968 Mustang was almost identical to the 1967 model.

Fewer Mustangs were produced in 1968 with only 317,704 being produced in the San Jose, Dearborn, and Metuchen plants combined. Regardless, Mustangs were still all the rage and were selling very well. Ford had really found a niche in the automobile market with the Ford Mustang and competitors were taking note. Nobody knew how long the Mustang fad would last, but Ford was planning on cashing in for as long as the fever lasted.

Mustangs in 1969 were definitely similar to the prior year's model, however the prices remained affordable and the vehicle remained popular. With these two parts existing the Mustang equation continued to equal success.

1968 Mustang Lineup

1968 Mustang Standard

The 1968 coupe was the most produced Mustang. Also referred to as the hardtop, the Mustang coupe had a production of 249,447. The hardtop weighed 2635 pounds and had a wheelbase of 108 inches like the prior year's Mustang. The Coupe boasted a 200 cid engine and cost $2602.
Of all the body styles, the Fastback's design was the most revered and coveted by consumers. The long roof, short trunk, and side vents made the vehicle beefy and strong. This combined with its power and style not to mention many different options made the Fastback an outstanding buy. The Fastback sported a 200 cid engine, 2659 curb weight, and cost $2712.
The convertible was one of the most popular Mustangs and favorites of all even if it was not the most produced or purchased. It also had a wheelbase of 108 inches and two doors with bucket seats. There were 22,037 convertibles and 3,339 deluxe convertibles produced. The convertible was powered by a 200 cid engine, had a 2745 pound curb weight, and cost an affordable $2814.

1968 Ford Mustang GT

There were three different GT Mustangs in 1968. They were the GT 350 ($4,116), GT 500 fastback ($4317), and finally the GT500KR ($4472). The convertible versions of the GT 350 and 500 cost a couple hundred dollars more and were certainly worth it to many buyers.
The GT500KR was introduced on April 1. It was a version of the 428 cid V8 CJ "Cobra Jet" that was street legal. Producing 400 horsepower, the GT500KR boasted a hood scoop and black hood stripe. The vehicle also boasted a Ram Air induction. Consumers could choose between a six speed automatic or a four speed manual. Ford's original plan was to produce 50 GT500KR Mustangs, however there ended up being 2,253 CJ Fastbacks and 564 CJ coupes produced.
The previous model years had a very low production of Shelby Mustang convertibles. However in 1968 production was upped to 518 vehicles. The KR was tagged onto the GT500 because rumor had it that Chevrolet was considering using the KR on a competing pony car. The GT 350 received a bigger engine going from the 289 to the 302 in 1968. All of the GT500 Mustangs boasted a 489 engine and the GT500KR sported a powerful 428 Cobra Jet. Both the 350 and 500 received emblems of Cobras in 1968.

GT: 1968 Mustang GT Package

Although not exactly a model, the 1968 GT package offered drivers the ability to tailor their vehicle with GT style. This included a stronger suspension, bigger shock absorbers, stiff front and rear springs, a GT gas cap that popped open, dual exhausts, GT hubcaps with trim rings, and more. There were also options of fog lamps and chrome wheels.

GT California Special

The Mustang GT/California Special was available only on the West Coast during model year 1968. The GT California Special was inspired by Shelby and boasted the same fog lamps, rear fascia, and grille as other 1968 Shelby models. Only coupes were produced for the California Special. The side scoops boasted a "GT/CS" emblem.

High Country Specials

There were 251 High Country Specials produced in 1968. The entire production consisted of coupes.

T5

The Ford Mustang continued as an export in Europe in 1968. The Mustang was sold under the name T5 which avoided a variety of problems regarding license fees and the like. The T5 was sold to civilians in Germany as well as US Army personnel.

Sprint

Two different Sprint Mustangs were offered in 1968. They were package A and package B. Ford advertised the Sprints with an advertising campaign of "see the light sale." The vehicle offered the GT style without the higher price. The Sprint Mustangs were available with two barrel V8s and six cylinder engines.
The two Sprint packages were different, however, and Package A included the following: C-shaped stripes, six or eight cylinder engine, full wheel covers, lip moldings on wheels, and a pop-open gas tank. The Sprint Package B included the same C shaped stripes, but only an eight cylinder engine. It also boasted the wheel lip moldings and pop open gas tank but the full wheel covers were replaced with painted Styled Wheels, the sidewall tires were new, as well as the grille mounted fog lamps. The production numbers for package A were 25,012 and for package B 15,106.

Powertrain and Performance

The 1968 Mustang did not change too much from the year before, but there were some definite changes with the power train. One of the biggest changes was replacing the 289 cid V8 with the 302 cid V8. The 302 had amazing power and resistance and became a popular engine due to its quality construction. In fact, this engine stayed around until 1995 although it was not used in model years'74 and '81.

The GT used a Motorcraft 427 cid V8 engine with carburetor that boasted 390 horsepower at 4600 rpm. This used with the performance tires, front disc brakes, dual exhaust, and heavy duty suspension resulted in the pony car with the most muscle yet.

There were seven different engines available for the 1968 Mustang model year, more than ever before. A brief description of each engine gives readers a good idea of what the engine was about and how it powered the Mustang.

200 c.i.d. "T"
This engine boated six cylinders and was used in other Ford cars besides the Mustang. There were upgrades available for this engine with one of the most popular being the dual inlet air cleaner. This allowed the exhaust manifold to warm air before it was drawn in which resulted in the Mustang warming up faster, fewer emissions, and less icing of the carburetor.

289 c.i.d
The 289 cid boasted 195 horsepower and was the '60s most popular engine. It was powerful, provided easy maintenance, and was light. This engine did not make it all the way through the 1968 model year because towards the end of the year it was replaced by the 302.

302 c.i.d. J code
The 302 cid boasted 210 horsepower with a V4. There were two versions of this engine, but the 210 horsepower had a two valve carburetor and 9.0 to 1 compression. It ran on regular fuel.

302 c.i.d. J Code
This is the second version of the engine above. It ran on premium fuel and powered out 230 horsepower. It also had four valves and 10 to 1 compression.

390 c.i.d. HP V4 S Code
This 390 engine produced an outstanding 335 horsepower, had four valves, and was one of the most popular engines in 1968. It had extra power due to special ignition, carburetor, and camshaft parts.

427 c.i.d.
This engine was one of the most powerful Mustang engines available. It boasted 390 horsepower and consumers loved to hear the horses rumbling under the hood.

428 CJ-335hp-V4 Engine
This powerful engine was released on April Fool's Day in 1968. This engine was available as an option in a small number of fastbacks and hardtops. Even fewer convertibles had this engine.

Exterior

The exterior of the 1968 Mustang looked practically the same as the year before. There were some subtle changes, however, like the grill change and the smaller front grill pony than past models. The grill for 1968 Mustangs also boasted fog lamps. The 1967 model boasted a non functional side scoop, however the '68 simply made use of chrome trim. The "Ford" letters were removed from the hood of the 1968 Mustang and reflectors on the front and rear bumpers were new additions. "Mustang" was written on the fender in script rather than block letters.

There were many different option packages in 1968 that allowed consumes to tailor their Mustang to their style and budget. The Mustang also came in many different colors. Exterior colors for the 1968 Mustang included the following: Gulfstream Aqua, Acapulco Blue, Gold Metallic, Brittany Blue, Dark Green Metallic (Shelby), Candy Apple Red, Dark Blue Metallic (Shelby), Highland Green, Orange (Shelby), Lime Gold, Medium Blue Metallic (Shelby), Lime Green Metallic, Pebble Beige, Meadowlark Yellow, Presidential Blue, Royal Maroon, Seafoam Green, Raven Black (Shelby), Sunlit Gold, Wimbledon White, and Tahoe Turquoise.

Interior

The 1968 Mustang interior did not see very many changes and in fact was practically identical to the 1967 model. There were some very subtle changes to the 1968 interior, however. Options that were new in '68 included a rear window defogger on coupes and fastbacks and an AM/FM radio.

A collapsible steering column was new and one of the government safety regulations. There was also considerably more padding in the 1968 interior than the previous year. Shoulder belts were also new this year and increased the safety of passengers considerably.

There were new upholstery options in the 1968 Mustang. An interior d�cor group was an available option that used wood grain on the doors and the dash. There was also a Sport Trim Group that included a wood grain dash and other exterior options. The Protection Group include color keyed floor mats made of rubber and an edge guard on the doors.

Interior Trim colors for 1968 Mustangs included blue vinyl, dark red vinyl, black vinyl, saddle vinyl, ivy gold vinyl, parchment vinyl, aqua vinyl, nugget gold vinyl, black comfortweave, blue coomfortweave, parchment comfortweave, and dark red comfortweave.

Final Thoughts

The 1968 Mustang model year remained very similar to the 1967 redesign. The big changes were those that were government mandated as well as some engine changes. The interior and exterior both saw modifications, but very subtle ones. Consumers were still in love with the Mustang and Ford dealers knew when Mustangs came in they would be able to make a sale.