Pair of Mustang Mach 1 “Twister Specials” again break the top-10 in Kansas City

The Cobra Jet 428 Twister Special that sold for $107,000 in Kansas City. David Newhardt photo, courtesy of Mecum Auctions.

While every muscle car enthusiast knows about the Mustang Mach 1, the 1970-only “Twister Special” version may be unfamiliar to those located outside the Midwest. Mecum Auctions knows its customers, however, and based on its success with a pair of Twister Specials in Kansas City last December, the auctioneers returned with a new pair of regional Mustangs for 2013. Lightning did indeed strike twice in the same location, as both Twister Special Mustangs offered this year again cracked the sale’s top-10 list.

In an effort to increase Mustang sales in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ford offered its pony car in several regional special editions. Those in California received the GT/California Special, those in Colorado received the High Country Special, and in 1970, Ford dealers in Kansas City received the Mach 1-based Twister Special. Available with either Cobra Jet 428 power or 351 Cleveland power, each of the 96 models built (48 with the 428-cu.in. engine and 48 with the 351-cu.in. engine) came painted in Grabber Orange with unique “Twister Special” graphics. Each featured a blueprinted engine and came loaded up with performance options instead of the usual luxury items, though buyers could choose between manual and automatic transmissions.

The 428-cu.in. Cobra Jet V-8. David Newhardt photo, courtesy of Mecum Auctions.

Grabbing the fourth spot in this year’s Kansas City top-10, a Cobra Jet 428 Twister Special with just 9,365 original miles sold for a hammer price of $107,000. Built on October 16, 1969, the car came equipped with the C6 automatic transmission and the factory Drag-Pak option, and included extensive documentation dating to the car’s original MSO, Ford invoice and title. Fresh from a recent restoration, Mecum never described the car as “numbers matching,” perhaps indicative of a former life lived in quarter-mile increments. While the selling price was good enough to be among the sale’s highest, it fell $33,000 short of the amount realized for a similar-condition Cobra Jet 428 Twister Special in last year’s sale.

The second Twister Special available to Kansas City bidders this year was a 351 Cleveland-powered example, described as one of 39 built with this engine and an automatic transmission. Also the subject of a recent and thorough restoration, the car was reportedly unearthed in the barn of a Missouri farmer who had owned the car for two decades. As with the Cobra Jet-powered Twister Special, Mecum was also careful to avoid using the phrase “numbers matching” in regards to this Mustang, which hammered at a price of $82,000. That’s a significant drop from the $130,000 price realized for a comparable 351 Cleveland-powered Twister Special during last year’s sale, but good enough to place this year’s car at number six on the top seller’s list.

The show’s top seller was this 1931 Cadillac V-12 Convertible Coupe. Image courtesy of Mecum Auctions.

Rounding out the top ten were a 1931 Cadillac V-12 Convertible Coupe, sporting a “show quality” restoration, which sold for $175,000; a 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda with a numbers-matching engine, which sold for $160,000; a 2000 Prevost Country Coach motorhome, which sold for $155,000; a 1967 Shelby G.T. 350 fastback, which sold for $105,000; a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette coupe with the 327-cu.in., 340-horsepower engine, which sold for $76,000; a 1970 Plymouth AAR ‘Cuda, which sold for $72,500; a 1967 Chevrolet Chevy II restorod, which sold for $71,000; and a 1967 Pontiac GT convertible with a GTOAA Nationals Concours Gold award to its credit, which sold for $69,000.

There were plenty of bargains to be had for buyers of all tastes in Kansas City, too. A 1985 Maserati Biturbo, fresh from long-term storage, hammered at a price of just $2,000; a 1953 Chrysler Windsor sold for $3,500; a 1971 Ford Torino sold at $3,750; a 1971 International Scout sold for $2,250; and a 1972 Ford Econoline 100 Super Van, sprayed in brown but labeled like The Mystery Machine from the Scooby Doo cartoon series, sold at $4,250.

For complete results from last weekend’s Kansas City sale, visit Mecum.com.