Lee Iacocca is a legend among legends, having been at the helm of both Ford Motor Company and Chrysler when both were cranking out truly groundbreaking products. The K-car that saved Chrysler? That launched under Iacocca. The minivan based on that K-Car platform? Iacocca. The most legendary sports car ever, the Ford Mustang? Yep, Lido. It’s for this reason that I was blown away to hear that no automaker ever offered an Iacocca Edition car; in fact, it took a special coachbuilder and an even more special dealership to make this a reality: the 45th Silver Anniversary Ford Mustang Iacocca Edition.
That special dealership is, of course, Galpin, The Autopian’s sister company, who has been putting out YouTube videos as part of its “Should I Sell It?” series. Autopian cofounder Beau is culling some of his herd of…we’ll just say hundreds of cars … and he’s trying to decide which to let go and which to keep.
Today on the chopping block is the most obscure Ford Mustang I’ve ever heard of. It’s called the “Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition” Ford Mustang, and there were only 45 ever built. Beau has three.
Even though these Iacocca Mustangs weren’t built by Ford itself, what makes them special is that Iacocca was actually involved in the development process.
Iacocca was a family friend of Beau’s. Beau’s dad Bert had built Galpin up to the largest Ford dealership on earth, and as you might imagine, quite a few Ford suits stopped by over the years. Here’s Iacocca (then President of Ford) and VP William Benton visiting with Bert back in 1974:
Here are the two friends many years later, along with Jane Boeckmann:
And here’s Beau with Iacocca:
This relationship made the 45th Silver Anniversary Ford Mustang Iacocca Edition a no-brainer for Galpin.
Based on a 2009 Ford Mustang GT coupe, the body was designed by Michael Leone, who worked with Denice Halicki of Gone in 60 Seconds fame. The build was carried out by Southern California-based Gaffoglia Family Metalcrafters, who is known for designing, engineering and building custom vehicles and prototypes, oftentimes for OEMs. As for mechanical upgrades, those were handled at Galpin, who was the 45th Silver Anniversary Ford Mustang Iacocca Edition’s exclusive retailer.
Speaking of mechanicals, this was a 2009 GT, so under the hood was a 4.6-liter modular V8 making 320 horsepower (with an 85mm cold air intake instead of the factory intake) or 400 horsepower (in supercharged form); both variants were hooked up to a five-speed manual transmission. Galpin installed the superchargers, as well as the Ford Racing Handling Package (which consisted of firmer springs and re-valved shocks) and optional larger 14-inch brakes.
The Iacocca Mustang May Have The Bones Of A GT, But It Feels Special
The way a car makes you feel when you’re behind the wheel is a complex thing. The sound of the engine, the acceleration, the clutch stiffness, the shifter throws, the snicking feeling of going into gear, the steering weight and directness, the suspension compliance, the body roll, the interior materials, the tech, the audio system — they all factor into the overall experience.
But there’s also pedigree. No, that’s not something you can actually feel, physically, but it’s something you can feel emotionally. Whenever I step into a special car with a unique history, that history paints how I perceive that vehicle. That Vector I drove was a wacky American’s dream car that he somehow managed to get into production; I love that story, even if the car is poorly built. My BMW i3 doesn’t drive that differently than another electric car, but the story of its over-engineered chassis makes the geek in me swoon. The WWII Jeep that I drive these days behaves the same as any other WWII Jeep, except this one I built with my own bare hands, so it “feels” different.
I say all this because these 45th Silver Anniversary Ford Mustang Iacocca Edition are “Mod Motor” Mustangs underneath, with relatively minor suspension updates. So technically, the driving experience should be the same as an aughts-era ‘stang. And yet, to me, it didn’t feel the same; what I think I’m describing here is what Californians refer to as “vibes.”
Sure, the black, silver, and red cars Beau, Jason, and I drove were all powered by the same naturally aspirated V8 you’d see in a Crown Vic or any old V8 Mustang (we drove the 320 horsepower variants, since Galpin could only supercharge the cars after a sale), so each vehicle drove very much like a 2009 Mustang GT.
But that’s not a bad thing at all! That mod motor makes a nice growl and plenty of torque, and the power is enough to get you to 60 mph in the mid-5s. I know many modern cars are much faster, but mid-5s ain’t bad! This thing felt plenty quick, and that five-speed Tremec TR-3650 is an absolute jewel.
What’s more, the car felt modern in all the good ways (fuel injection, decent audio system, plenty of safety systems), but still analogue in the good ways, too (no infotainment screen, no automatic transmission, no electronic safety nannies). It was a refreshing car to drive — just a big V8 sending power through a stick shift and a solid rear axle.
As Beau, Jason and I ripped through Van Nuys in V8 Mustangs that absolutely nobody who saw us could identify, I couldn’t help but wonder why I was having this much fun in what was basically just a Mustang GT. Some of it was the fact that, yes, even a basic Mustang GT from 2009 is a fun car, but some of it was those vibes I mentioned earlier.
I was driving a piece of history — something that the godfather of the Mustang, Lee Iacocca — had helped create. And there were enough changes from a regular GT that I could feel it as I drove it and as I looked in my rearview to see Beau in the black car and Jason in the red one. Those inset sealed-beam headlights and that forward-leaning are just fantastic, and really help bring the car back to April of 1964:
From the rear, the cars looked especially unique, with unique rear quarters and a unique rear window to give a true fastback profile, plus flush exhaust tips, an Iacocca badge and an Iacocca logo:
Iacocca badging could also be found on the hood…
… on the custom wheels…
… and on the sill plates…
…and on the steering wheel…
… and on the seat stitching:
Above all, where you’d normally see an infotainment screen in a modern car is one of the coolest plaques you can have in any car:
All of this — the fastback profile, the exhaust tips, those sealed beam headlights, the grille, the badging, the plaques, and the history and rarity behind it all (and Galpin’s personal relationship with the auto legend) — made rowing through those gears and punching that 4.6-liter mod motor in the suburbs of Van Nuys just that much more special.
As for whether Beau should part ways with vehicles he and Galpin helped develop alongside their beloved late friend, Lee Iacocca, that’s still in the air. I get the feeling Beau is leaning towards selling these three, but I could be wrong. I’m curious: What do you think? Should Beau sell these rare Ford Mustang Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Editions? Or should he hold onto one or more of them in honor of his friendship with Iacocca?
All Images: Galpin Media unless otherwise stated
I would save one, the one that you like the most, and sell the other two. Though I imagine finding people that appreciate them might be harder to find than expected. they are basically just GT mustangs.
45 built, and there are still 3 in the Galpin collection. Does that mean that only 42 were able to be sold at the asking price of $90K in 2009? Just kept the 3 because couldn’t sell em???
https://www.motortrend.com/news/iacocca-silver-45th-anniversary-edition-mustang-to-cost-89950-5393
I remember when these came out, I thought it was definitely a unique look to them. Gave the S197 a bit of a concept car for the street look. But the price.. ouch!
These are freaking awesome! I’d say keep one and sell the other two.
The rear treatment looks fantastic by comparison to the original, but woof that Iacocca font. Looks like the individual letters you can buy at Auto Zone to spell out TU RBO on the back of an Altima.
Hairdryer and Goof-Off on day one
While it may be somewhat special, in my view, it’s not THAT special. And maybe instead of selling all three, just sell two of them and keep one.
The obvious answer is to keep the red one and sell the rest of them.
The Crown Vic never got the 4.6 3 valve engine only the 2 valve so it is not the same engine that came in the Crown Vic.
There’s no sell two keep one option?
I like the stitching on those seats. These are cars that need to be out driving and cruising. Enough time has passed since the Coyote came out that no one cares that these were down on horsepower or plagued with the 3valve timing guides.
Completely missed an opportunity to put Iacocca’s handsome face on the headrests or as the bade on the hood. Oh, I naked, winged Iacocca hood ornament? Now that would be special enough to hang on to. As it is, maybe keep one, sell two?
I want a fire breathing Iacocca on the hood.
My Grandmother idolized Lee Iococca
Yeah, sell two. Keep one. Hi ho silver all the way. I’m almost always camp red. But in this case I think silver shows off the unique body and also hides some of the additional fastback mass that you get with the Flush bumper and lack of rear quarter windows.
The silver is the best looking of the three. I agree he should sell the red and black.
Sell two, keep one.
I think this is the best looking generation of Mustang. It’s a real shame the Coyote didn’t arrive until they “fixed it” with more black plastic and shoehorning early 70s details onto the 60s inspired car.
They look great, too bad the GT was so impotent. These were the laughing stock of the late aughts Z community, as our little VQ’s would keep up with them just fine despite all of their loud bluster.
I think they look great and (importantly these days) they are not gigantic.
The way they did the body kit up makes it look like a GT500 that’s not quite right.
wow, i never knew there was an iacocca edition. these look waaay better than the normal same generation mustangs. really cool. I’m assuming these will go for quite a bit of premium if sold.
I voted yes but the real answer is to keep the red one and sell the other two.
Agree. Red is best.
Completely agree, Beau doesn’t need all three, but I feel one of them should be in the collection
Same. Sell… 2 out of 3.
As a wise sage once said, “…don’t be sad, cuz 2 out of three ain’t bad.”
Yes, sell them with one going to me for a low low price! The upgrades to the interior alone makes these very attractive. If only I had collector money…
Keep the red one because color is good, sell the other two. Or rather sell the red one from Galpin Auto Sports to Beau Boeckmann personally so you can finally put that supercharger on it.
DO NOT do the Montana thing or get a personalized plate but maybe wait until California finally sends out 9ZZZ999 to get a reversed combination ending in 1; CA plate numbers stay with the car so it being registered 17 years out of sequence will be part of its’ story.
I’ve already started seeing the new sequence plates on the road. First one I saw was a passport trail sport.
I voted sell. They’re a curiosity, sure, but honestly, the existence of the Mustang itself (not to mention its continuous production) is the real homage to Iacocca.
It’s like the Bullitt editions; cool, but it’s not like if Steve McQueen were still here, he’d actually own one himself…
He would, for a time, because Ford would give him one when launhing each new version. Which McQueen would then autograph and auction for charity
I voted sell, but it still says zero votes. 0% to 0%
And then it gives me the option to create my own poll.
https://crowdsignal.com/pricing/?ad=poll-results
Something tells me this article needs to bake a bit longer. 🙂
Fixed the poll!
This is what they all should have looked like.
Keep one, sell the other two. Huh, I thought Ford abandoned the stick axle during this generation Mustang.
Stick axle = solid axle? Excluding the ‘99-‘04 SVT Cobra the Mustang went IRS 2015 MY.
Yes, I thought this was the generation the Ford went full IRS. Stick axle = solid axle.
I also vote sell two, keep one. I say keep the silver one as there is something about the paint and combination of body changes that looks the best to me.
There should be an option of “sell 2, keep 1”.
Those are part of his family legacy, so that a strong reason to keep one. But owning 8% of the total produced seems like 2 could get out there in the world to other fans.