Ford built more than two million Mustangs from 1964 through 1970. That is a lot of cars to be sure, but there are Mustangs and then there are rare Mustangs. In 1970 Ford built a very special and extremely rare Mustang Mach 1 called the Twister Special. How rare? How about a total of 96 total cars. Our AutoHunter Spotlight is one of these cars, a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special.
Due to the popularity of the Mustang, the Ford Special Promotions Division started to build a number of special-edition Mustangs. Of these special edition cars, there were a number of what they called territorial specials, Mustangs that were built for specific regions of the country. These included among them the California Special, the Colorado market High Country Special, and the North Carolina market Cardinal Edition. In 1969, Ford’s Kansas City district put together one of the last and rarest of these regional specials as a 1970 model and they called it the Twister Special.
The 1970 Mustang received many exterior changes from stock including headlights that were relocated inside the grill opening, a set of non functional air intakes integrated into the outboard part of the front fenders, a new grille with different driving lights for the Mach I, slightly redesigned taillights, twist-style locking pins on the hood, and a Shaker hood scoop with select engine options. All 96 Twister Specials were finished in Grabber Orange with black side stripes and a unique tornado decal on each quarter panel. For the interior the Twister Specials all received the Mach 1 deluxe black interior which included bucket seats, molded door panels, woodgrain trim, center console, and three-spoke Rim Blow steering wheel.
The engines options on the Twister Special were limited to either the 428ci Super Cobra Jet or the 351 Cleveland with a four-barrel carburetor. The engine options were an even split with 48 cars equipped with the 428 Super Cobra Jet and the other 48 with the 351. Additional standard performance features included power steering, power brakes, Competition Suspension, and Traction-Lok differential.
According to the auction listing, this Twister Special is powered by a 351ci V8 mated to a three-speed FMX Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. The car is correctly finished in Grabber Orange over a correct Black Clarion Knit/Corinthian vinyl interior. It is offered by the selling dealer with a Deluxe Marti Report and clear title.
The exterior of this Twister Special looks to be very nice condition, with excellent looking paint, completely correct badging and Twister Special decals, all properly located. The car rides on correct 14-inch Magnum 500 wheels clad with 235/60 Cooper Cobra raised white letter radial tires.
The interior also looks absolutely perfect, with correct Black Clarion Knit/Corinthian vinyl upholstery, woodgrain trim, center console, and gauges that includes a 120-mph speedometer, oil pressure, temperature, fuel, and generator. Strangely, a tachometer was never part of the Twister Special package.
Under the hood lies the correct 351-4V. This engine features an 11.0:1 compression ratio, and was rated when new as having 300 horsepower. Everything under the hood not only looks correct but also appears to be in excellent condition.
With a total production of only 96 cars, the Twister Special is more rare than any Shelby or Boss 302, and is quite desirable among Mustang collectors. These cars do not come up for sale very often, and this 1970 Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special represents a rare opportunity to own a very rare Mustang.
If you are interested in owning this crazy rare Mustang you best act fast as the auction for this 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special ends this Halloween, Friday, October 31, 2025, at 11:45 a.m. (PDT).
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery
