This is 1 of 96 rare Twister Specials produced, it’s 1 of only 48 equipped with the 351 Cleveland V8, and it was formerly owned by Terry Fritz – the creator of the Twister Special registry.
The Twister Specials are among the most desirable “special” Mustangs from the period. Relatively few were made, and all for a relatively small geographical region. Their distinctive looks, rarity, and their unusual history has seen their values continue to skyrocket.
Fast Facts: The Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special
- The Twister Special was a limited edition 1970 Mustang Mach 1 built for Ford’s Kansas City dealers, with just 96 examples made. Originally intended for American Raceways International, the cars were repurposed after ARI’s bankruptcy. All units received Grabber Orange paint, Shaker hoods, and unique tornado graphics.
- This particular car is 1 of only 48 Twister Specials equipped with the 351 Cleveland V8 and a Select-Shift automatic transmission. It retains its matching-numbers drivetrain, factory-installed shaker hood, power front disc brakes, rear drums, and a 3.50 Traction-Lok differential.
- Interiors featured Mach 1 deluxe trim with molded panels, woodgrain accents, a center console, and a Rim Blow steering wheel. Exteriors had black side stripes, grille-mounted fog lights, aluminum rocker panels, and a honeycomb rear panel. All Twister Specials used the SportsRoof fastback body style.
- This example was originally delivered to Noller Motors in Topeka, Kansas, and later featured in Mustang Monthly in July 1989. Once owned by Terry Fritz, founder of the Twister Special registry, it is now headed to Mecum’s July auction with no reserve and verified authenticity.
What Were The Twister Specials?
The Twister Specials were a series of Mach 1 Mustangs (and Torino Cobras) built exclusively for Ford’s Kansas City sales district dealers. Just 96 were made in total, but the project had actually started out with very different intentions.
The Mach 1 was developed by Ford as a higher-end version of the wildly popular pony car, and it sold in high numbers. Image courtesy of Ford.
The cars we know today as Twister Specials were originally intended for American Raceways International (ARI), they had requested 1970 Mustang convertibles for use as pace cars and limited editions.
Ford’s Special Promotions Division was given the task of creating a unique look for these cars, including unique side stripes and graphics. All was going swimmingly until ARI suddenly went bankrupt, leaving Ford with almost 100 cars on order and nowhere to ship them to.
Someone at Ford struck upon the idea of changing things up and turning these pre-ordered cars into a limited edition series of specials for Kansas City Ford dealers, using the “Twister” name and graphics as a reference to the frequent tornados that struck the area.
It’s important to note that different cars were used for the Twister Special series, the original ARI cars were not converted into Twisters. The ARI cars had been “pre-sold” to Ford’s Kansas City dealers, and so their individual allotments were simply shifted over to the Twister Special.
The cars were all finished in Grabber Orange paint with a black interior, they had functional Shaker hood scoops, and they were equipped with power steering and power front disc brakes. All Twister Specials were given Competition Suspension and the 3.50 Traction-Lok differential (a limited-slip differential).
Inside you would find a Mach 1 deluxe bucket-seat interior, with molded door panels, a center console, woodgrain trim throughout, and three-spoke Rim Blow steering wheel. The cars all had the Mustang SportsRoofs, Ford’s name for the fastback roof-type, they also had grille-mounted fog lights, aluminum lower rocker panels, and a black honeycomb rear panel.
The car you see here is a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special, as noted in the introduction, it’s 1 of just 96 examples of the rare Twister Specials that were made.
The cars could be identified by the combination of their Grabber Orange paint (which was actually yellow) and their black midlevel side stripes with tornado “Twister” decals on the rear quarter-panels. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Kansas City dealers had no problem selling the cars and today they’re considered highly collectible – with just a handful known to remain and currently on the official registry.
It’s worth noting that a significant number of Twister Special replicas have been made over the years, with some even trying to sell them as originals, so as always it’s important to ensure that any car you’re looking at has its documents in order, and can be authenticated.
The Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special, as noted in the introduction, it’s 1 of just 96 examples of the rare Twister Specials that were made. It’s also 1 of only 48 equipped with the 351 Cleveland V8, and it was formerly owned by Terry Fritz – the creator of the Twister Special registry.
Importantly, the car still has its original drivetrain, including the matching-numbers 351 Cleveland V8 and matching-numbers Select-Shift automatic transmission. It has its original shaker hood in place, and it has power brakes with front discs and rear drums, a Traction-Lok differential, and a Philco radio.
As you would expect for a Twister Special, this vehicle is finished in Grabber Orange with a Black interior. It was shipped new to Noller Motors, Inc in Topeka, Kansas.
As you would expect for a Twister Special, this vehicle is finished in Grabber Orange with a Black interior. It was shipped new to Noller Motors, Inc in Topeka, Kansas, and then later featured in the July 1989 issue of Mustang Monthly magazine.
It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in late July with no reserve. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Mecum
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.