1968 Ford Mustang

The original pony car. Launched April 1964 (the famous “1964½” cars, titled as 1965s) and produced through 1973.

Photo: “1968 Ford Mustang GT hardtop, front left, 09-07-2024” by MercurySable99 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.

The 1968 model year

Overview

A refinement of the 1967 redesign with new federal safety gear and, mid-year, the 428 Cobra Jet — immortalized as the Bullitt fastback.

Engines: 200 I6 115 hp
289 2-bbl 195 hp
302 V8 (new, began replacing the 289) 210 hp
390 FE 4-bbl 325 hp
428 Cobra Jet (mid-year; widely considered underrated) 335 hp
Transmissions: 3-speed manual, 4-speed manual, 3-speed automatic
Body styles: Hardtop, Fastback, Convertible
Base price: $2,707 (base hardtop) ≈$24,400 today (inflation-adjusted) Original MSRP adjusted for inflation (CPI, 2024); not the car's current market/collector value. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U (U.S. city average, all items), annual average.

Year over year

Federal safety gear: an energy-absorbing 2-spoke wheel, front and rear side marker lights, and standard 3-point belts from January 1968.
"FORD" lettering was removed from the hood.
The mirror moved to the windshield.
The 302 V8 was introduced.
The 428 Cobra Jet was added mid-year.

Living with it

Generation-wide rust.
The 428 CJ is high-value — verify authenticity (date-coded blocks, documentation).

Worth knowing

428 CJ cars are among the most collectible.
The Steve McQueen "Bullitt" film car — a Highland Green (paint code R) GT 390 fastback — halos every dark-green 1968 fastback; the surviving screen car sold for $3.74M in 2020.
GT/CS California Special and High Country Special continued.

Famous variants this year

Other First generation years

Browse by tag