by Jeff Shade

Those popular Cable TV shows that do total restorations on cars and trucks in an unrealistically short period of time can really get a car nut excited about the process. What you don’t see however, is the number of people it takes, the sponsor support required, and the obstacles encountered. What looks fast and perfectly smooth is often an illusion. The clock does indeed stop occasionally, and sometimes the car looks good in the end, but doesn’t quite run the way it’s supposed to, if at all. Such is the world of automotive reality TV.

I had this idea around 1990 about restoring a car on TV. It came as a result of being a fan of “This Old House”. I thought, why not do this with a car? At that time I was living in New York City, hardly the kind of place doing an automotive TV show would be practical. So I cut my restoration teeth with a few modest cars that needed only minor repairs that I could accomplish in the close quarters of my surroundings. I also read a lot about the restoration process and continued to dream and plan. In 1992 I moved to Los Angeles and the stage was set to put my plan into motion. Once my jaw stopped dropping at all the rust-free vintage cars on the road, I set about looking for a suitable project for my experiment. I wanted a car with a loyal following and that parts were readily available for. Budget was also a consideration so some cars I would’ve loved to have had were passed over. All the signs were beginning to point towards a Mustang. They were plentiful at the time and could be had for a reasonable sum of money. After months of looking at convertibles that were more than I had to spend, I happened upon a special model that was more than a plain coupe, but not as expensive as a Mach I, Boss, or Shelby – a 1968 ½ California Special. It had all the right things wrong with it and was priced within my budget at $3200. I had found my project car.

By 1967, sales of the Mustang were being cut into in some markets by the introduction of pony cars from GM and Chrysler. California buyers now could choose a Camaro or Barracuda, so the powers that be at Ford decided to build a “special” version of the Mustang to boost sales called the “GT/CS” for sale in California only. It utilized Marchal or Lucas fog lamps set in a ’67 grille, faux air scoops behind the doors, recessed turn signals in the hood, fiberglass deck lid with a built-in spoiler, and Thunderbird-type tail lights. It carried special striping and a nameplate on the quarters – “California Special”. Only about 4100 of these cars were ever built and only sold in California. They came mostly with 289 engines, but a few were outfitted fit larger power plants and are even rarer. Unfortunately, a convertible was never offered.

My project car was found in a local classified ad in Woodland Hills California and was an abandoned “fix up” project. It was all there, but not running when I hauled it home. How far did I want to take this car and what would it cost? I had learned that auto restoration can get very expensive so I knew I’d have to have sponsor support if I was to do this project on TV. There were other challenges however, not the least of which was that I had no experience producing a TV show and no outlet to air it on, but I was not to be denied my dream, and so I marched ahead blindly.

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