“There is something about the idea of the California spirit that has always been associated with the Mustang brand,” said Kristen Keenan, a color and materials designer at Ford. “And now Mustang Mach-E joins as part of the family.”
That spirit, long defined by freedom and open roads, now meets the silent thrust of electric power.
From Grassroots to Legend
The story of the California Special began not in Detroit, but in California’s car culture of the 1960s. Local dealers, responsible for a substantial share of Mustang sales, sought to celebrate their contributions with a distinctive model.
Working with Ford, they introduced the first California Special in 1968 — a limited run of just over 4,000 cars. With red and black accents, unique badging, and aerodynamic flourishes, the coupe embodied the youthful energy of the era. It was an expression of the coast’s taste for individuality, where the car was not just transportation but personality.
A Return With a Modern Edge
More than half a century later, as Ford prepared the seventh generation of the Mustang coupe in 2024, designers found themselves revisiting that legacy. The question was not just how to recreate the California Special, but how to reinterpret it for a time when performance and sustainability coexist.
“We made some bold changes,” said Stefan Taylor, an exterior designer at Ford. “We wanted to create something new for the Mustang brand while respecting its heritage.”
That reflection led to a redesign stripped of past clichés. The new California Special abandons the traditional red-and-black motif in favor of a striking new color, “Rave Blue.”
“Rave Blue travels from light to dark, just like ocean water,” Keenan said. “It’s extremely chromatic—sometimes shifting toward violet—like the way light plays across the Pacific.”
The color now defines the California Special treatment for both the two-door Mustang and its electric sibling, the 2026 Mustang Mach-E GT California Special.
Design, in Dialogue
While the Mach-E borrows cues from its coupe counterpart, the designers emphasize that the two are more cousins than twins.
“We didn’t want to copy and paste what we did with the Mustang two-door,” Taylor said. “This design honors the Mach-E’s place in the Mustang family while giving it its own identity.”
The Mach-E wears Rave Blue accents across its wheels, grille, and badges. Its updated California Special font trades 1960s script for a cleaner, modern block design.
A closer look reveals a wealth of detail: 20-inch carbonized gray wheels with a GT/CS logo, gloss-black aero covers, and an illuminated blue Mustang emblem on the grille. A special hood graphic—gray, black, and blue—echoes the California coastline at sunset.
Inside, the EV is equally meticulous. The performance seats, wrapped in Navy Pier ActiveX and Miko materials, feature reflective blue and silver striping. The same navy upholstery extends to the steering wheel and center console, while floor mats repeat the intricate stitching found on the seats.
Underneath the design, the Mach-E California Special is built on the GT platform, delivering an EPA-estimated 280 miles of range, 480 horsepower, and up to 700 pound-feet of torque.
Inspired by the Community That Built It
If the first California Special was a product of California dealers, the latest one is a product of California drivers. Keenan and Taylor, both Mustang owners, draw heavily from the vibrant community that keeps the brand alive through car shows, social media, and custom builds.
“At car shows and Mustang events, you see all sorts of modified Mustang vehicles,” Taylor said. “There’s so much inspiration in how these owners make their cars distinctly their own.”
The bright blue wheels on the Mach-E, he noted, were inspired by cars displayed at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the annual gathering of the automotive aftermarket world.
“Personalization is such a big part of what people love about the brand,” he added. “We wanted to give potential customers a package that stands out and feels unique in this space.”
California, Electrified
The 2026 Mustang Mach-E GT California Special arrives with a mission: to unite performance and personality in an era of transformation. It’s a car that remembers its roots while chasing a different kind of horizon — one powered not by gasoline, but by electrons.
With a starting price of $53,395 for the GT model and an additional $2,495 for the California Special package, Ford’s electric pony aims to keep the West Coast dream alive, from the highway to the shoreline.
Orders open October 22, with deliveries expected in early 2026.