1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special Is Both Rare and Incredibly Cool

One of only 96 built in total, this 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special is also one of just 13 left with its original powertrain.

Over its six decades of existence, the Ford Mustang has been offered in all sorts of special editions and unique variants, many of which are rare and/or coveted and valuable in today’s world. One of the rarest – and we’d argue, coolest – is the 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special, of which just 96 units were produced in total. It was created specifically to help support the launch of new pace cars for American Raceways Inc., paying homage to the surrounding Midwest and its tendency to deal with frequent tornadoes at the same time. Now, one very nice 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special is set to hit the auction block.

This particular Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special will be sold at the upcoming Mecum auction in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on July 25, and it’s a special example, to boot.  In fact, it was formerly owned by the creator of the Twister Special registry himself – Terry Fritz – and it’s equipped with the 351 V8 Cleveland Engine, making it one of just 48 packing that powerplant from the factory.

That Cleveland engine is the original, numbers-matching piece, which is also true of the Mustang’s Select-Shift automatic transmission, making it one of just 13 known to exist with its original powertrain. Finished in Grabber Orange like all Twister Specials, this pony car also has its original shaker hood, a black interior, power brakes with front discs, and the Traction-Lok differential with an optional axle ratio. It was shipped new to Noller Motors in Topeka, Kansas, and subsequently featured in the July 1989 issue of Mustang Monthly.

With its Marti Report backing up all of this information, we fully expect this rare and very special Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special to garner some strong interest at auction, especially given the unique history that led to its creation in the first place. Based on the already popular Mach 1 and sporting tornado decals on the outside, the Twister Special offered essentially all of the best things one could get on the pony car at the time, including the aforementioned goodies and the Drag Pack suspension setup.

That didn’t exactly extend to the powerplant department, as Ford’s plan to stuff the 428 Super Cobra Jet in all Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special examples didn’t pan out because, well, the automaker simply didn’t have enough engines laying around to power all 96 units – which is why half of them, including this one, are equipped with the lesser Cleveland V8. Regardless, even that batch is quite special, and it isn’t like the next owner is likely to risk taking their rare ride to the track, anyway.

Photos: Mecum Auctions

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.