Orange County Register

Forty-five years after introducing the world to the Mustang, former Ford president Lee Iacocca is introducing a limited-edition version of the vehicle that created the “pony car” category, announcing today the Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang.

Only 45 of the cars will be made, and each will be handmade in Orange County thanks to Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters in Fountain Valley.

“They will all be handcrafted, each one. This is not just a production line, per se,” said Metalcrafters CEO George Gaffoglio. “This is a very, very special edition.”

For Gaffoglio and his Metalcrafters family — which was begun in 1979 by his father John and also includes George’s brother Ruben, who is president, and COO Mike Alexander, scion of the Alexander Brothers — working with on this project itself was also very special.

“Mr. Iacocca and us as a family go back a long time, back to the early ’80s. We have built numerous vehicles for Mr. I before he retired,” Gaffolgio said of his company, which creates prototype vehicles and has more recently also expanded into the aerospace industry.

During the two-year process to make the fastback-style car, Iacocca, 84, paid several visits to Metalcrafters’ 125,000-square-foot facility in Fountain Valley.

The constant thought on everyone’s mind at Metalcrafters, Gaffoglio says, was: “How can we impress Mr. Iacocca?”

While the bodies and interiors will be made at Metalcrafters, the mechanical side of things will be handled at Galpin Ford in Los Angeles, which will be the exclusive seller of the cars. The car was designed by Michael Leone, who is part of a Iacocca’s new venture, called I Legacy

Two engines will be offered when the special-edition Mustang goes on sale in July: a 4.6-liter V8 rated at 320 horsepower, or a supercharged version good for 400 horsepower. Transmission is a five-speed manual.

Upgraded brakes and firmer springs up the ante on the car’s athletic abilities, and a 14-inch Ford Racing brake package is also available. Both the upgraded engines and suspension components are covered by Ford’s factory warranty.

While pricing on the Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang hasn’t officially been announced, USA Today is reporting that is will be between $60,000 and $65,000, and that Iacocca thinks it will be “much higher” due to bidding on the limited series.

And while this edition is limited to just 45, Gaffoglio says there is a “good possibility” that his company could be involved in other special-edition versions.

Still, there will never be a version quite like this one.

“What says it all is that Mr. Iacocca never had his name on any car, and now he is putting his name on this car,” Gaffoglio said. “This is like being part of history.”

For more information on the Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang, click HERE.

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