Ford Mustang 1967 GT390

Red on red isn’t a subtle color combination, and neither was Ford’s 1967 decision to finally give the Mustang a genuine big-block option. The GT390 changed the whole equation, turning a good-looking pony car into a real muscle car overnight. Read on to find out what made the S-code cars rare, and why this exact color combination still turns heads more than half a century later.

This is an absolutely gorgeous 1967 Mustang GT390 in red on red!

Red on red isn’t a subtle color combination, and neither was Ford’s decision in 1967 to finally give the Mustang a genuine big-block option. Up until that year, the hottest Mustang you could buy topped out with a 289, plenty quick for the era but nothing that could hang with a real muscle car in a straight line. The GT390 changed that equation overnight by stuffing Ford’s FE-series big-block under a hood that was never really designed around one. The result was a Mustang that finally had the muscle to match its looks — and this red-on-red example is a textbook illustration of why the S-code cars still turn heads more than half a century later.

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The Engine That Finally Gave the Mustang Teeth

The 390 cubic inch FE V8 arrived rated at 320 horsepower at 4,600 rpm and 427 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm — a jump of roughly 50 horsepower over the top 289 option, and the biggest engine Ford had ever fit into a Mustang up to that point. It came factory-equipped with a 490 Autolite four-barrel rather than the Holley carburetor used in previous high-performance Mustangs, and it was paired with the GT Equipment Group’s side stripes, fog lamps, power front discs, and dual exhaust with chrome quad tips — the whole package designed to look every bit as serious as it drove.

How Rare Is an S-Code Really?

Production figures on 390-equipped ’67 Mustangs vary depending on how you slice them — some tallies put 390-powered cars as high as 28,800 across all trims, while more specific S-code, GT-package counts run closer to 10,500, and genuine 4-speed S-code cars are rarer still. Whichever number you land on, the takeaway is the same: not every ’67 Mustang with a big engine badge was actually built the way this one was, which is exactly why verifying the S-code and matching numbers matters before you get too excited about any given car.

The Last of a Short-Lived Breed

Ford only offered the 390 in the Mustang from 1967 through 1969, after which the nameplate moved on to 427s, 428s, and eventually the 429 — meaning the S-code Mustang had a genuinely brief window in the model’s history. That short production run is part of what makes a clean, correctly-documented GT390 like this red-on-red example worth stopping for, rather than just another pretty color combination in a parking lot.

Why 1967 Was a Turning Point for the Whole Mustang Line

Ford enlarged the entire Mustang body for 1967 specifically to accommodate big-block engines that simply wouldn’t fit in the tighter 1965-66 chassis, widening the engine bay and reinforcing the front frame rails — meaning the GT390 wasn’t just a new engine option, it was the direct reason the Mustang’s whole platform changed shape that year.

The GT Equipment Group Was More Than Just Stripes

Ordering the GT Equipment Group alongside the 390 added a specific handling package with heavier-duty front and rear springs, larger front sway bars, and a quicker steering ratio, all tuned to help the extra weight of the FE-series big-block sit over the front wheels without turning the car into a nose-heavy handful — a detail that separated a genuine GT390 from a Mustang that merely looked the part.

How This Engine Compared to Other 1967 Options

Below the 390 sat a 289 small-block making do with far less torque, and above it — arriving for later model years — sat increasingly potent big-block options that would eventually push past 400 horsepower by decade’s end, meaning the 390 occupied a genuine sweet spot in 1967: a real jump in torque and presence over the base cars without the added weight and complexity of the biggest engines Ford would eventually offer.

The Bullitt Connection That Cemented the S-Code’s Reputation

Steve McQueen’s 1968 Mustang GT390 fastback, driven in the famous chase sequence in Bullitt, cemented the S-code 390’s reputation in American car culture far beyond what its factory performance numbers alone would have earned it — a single film role that turned an already-respected engine option into one of the most requested Mustang specifications among collectors for the following half-century.

What to Check Before Trusting Any GT390’s Paperwork

Because the GT390 nameplate carries real premium value today, verifying a car’s authenticity means cross-referencing the door data plate’s engine and transmission codes against Ford’s original production records, checking for a matching-numbers block casting date consistent with the VIN, and confirming the GT Equipment Group content is actually present rather than added later — steps that matter enormously given how often lesser Mustangs have been dressed up to resemble genuine S-code cars.

Why Red-on-Red Specifically Turns Heads on This Car

Ford offered a wide range of colors on the 1967 Mustang, but a genuine red exterior paired with a red interior represents one of the bolder factory combinations available that year, and because most surviving GT390s have been repainted at least once over nearly six decades, finding one that retains its original color combination — inside and out — adds another layer of authenticity that collectors specifically look for beyond the engine code alone.

Why the Fastback Body Style Matters Less Than People Assume

While the fastback gets most of the attention in Mustang folklore thanks to films like Bullitt, the GT390 was actually available across the coupe, fastback, and convertible body styles in 1967, and a numbers-matching coupe or convertible GT390 can be every bit as collectible as a fastback, provided the documentation and originality hold up — a detail that surprises buyers who assume only the fastback carries real value. Ford also offered the GT390 with either a three-speed manual, a four-speed manual, or a C6 automatic transmission, and while the four-speed cars typically command the strongest premiums today, a well-documented automatic GT390 remains a genuinely desirable car in its own right, particularly among buyers who plan to actually drive the car regularly rather than trailer it to shows.

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