As with all history, automotive history sometimes takes weird and unexpected turns. Such was the case with this 1990 Ford Mustang 7-Up edition, which is in almost new condition, thanks to a father-daughter ownership team that kept it well.
Not only is this Fox Body Mustang a remarkably well-preserved classic, it’s also a rare edition in its own right. The story of the 7-Up Mustang starts ahead of the 1990 NCAA basketball championship. Initially, Ford provided 7-Up with cars for use as a contest prize at the finals. People there would be offered the chance to win a car if they could sink a basket from half court.
Surprisingly, 7-Up was so worried about the public’s ability to drain half-court shots that it ordered 30 examples of the car. However, the basket ball-viewing public was never given the chance to win one of these Mustangs, because the contest was canceled before it even began.
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However, by the time the contest was nixed, two 7-Up Mustangs had been produced, reports CJ Pony Parts. Apparently, Ford liked them, because it decided to put the car into production as a limited edition model.
Ford eventually produced 4,103 of them, all of which were equipped with a 5.0-liter V8 that made 255 hp (190 kW/259 PS). Of those, 1,360 were equipped with a manual transmission, while this is one of the 2,743 that were fitted with an automatic transmission.
In addition to the Deep Emerald Green paint, all examples got a white convertible top. The package was topped off with the Mustang GT’s 15-inch aluminum wheels, cruise control, air conditioning, and a premium sound system with AM and FM radio.
Beyond the weird history, the package makes for a handsome Mustang, and this one in particular is essentially perfect. Having passed through the hands of just two owners, the original buyer and his daughter, it has been kept in a temperature-controlled garage from new.
Offered for sale by Classic Car Studio, they say that you’re unlikely to find a better example of the car on earth, and they’re probably right. However, that also means that it comes with a relatively steep asking price of $49,900.
