The Ford Mustang is an American icon and currently holds the title for the world’s best-selling sports car , a position it has held for more than a decade.

Since its introduction in 1964, Ford has offered plenty of special Mustangs, but some are more special than others. In fact, some are so special that only dyed-in-the-wool Mustang enthusiasts know about them.

In this article, we’ll look at the Mustangs that flew under the radar, from one-offs and experimental concepts to short-lived production runs and extremely limited editions. All the information comes from reputable sources, such as Ford, MotorTrend, auction companies, and enthusiast sites.

1980 Ford Mustang McLaren M81

According to Ford Authority , only 10 production units of the 1980 McLaren M81 Mustang were built, making it a properly obscure Mustang. Harry Wykes and Todd Gerstenberger designed this orange, widebodied beast on a sketch pad during a meal at a Mexican restaurant, and Ford partnered with McLaren Engines in Michigan — the US division of the famous Formula 1 team — to develop it.

What started life as a regular Fox-Body Mustang gained a set of wide IMSA-style wheel arches, a new hood, Koni suspension, and an upgraded engine. McLaren tore down the turbocharged 2.3-liter mill, and when they were done, it produced 175 hp .

2006 Ford Mustang Giugiaro

MotorTrend says that when Fabrizio Giugiaro , son of legendary auto designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, first saw the new retro-styled S197 Mustang in the mid-2000s, he couldn’t help himself and had to design a concept version for Ford. That resulted in the gorgeous car you see here — a Mustang that was inspired by European sports cars , including the doors that open upwards, like on a Lambo.

Under the hood, it had a supercharged 4.6-liter V8 pumping out 500 hp, so it wasn’t all show and no go, either. Despite the prototype being road-legal and offering a fresh take on the muscle car’s design, Ford and Giorgetto never pursued it beyond the concept stage.

1965 Bertone Mustang

Fabrizio Giugiaro isn’t the only Italian car designer who’s worked their magic on the Mustang. In 1965, Bertone created one of the most remarkable Mustang variants, and according to Road & Track , Fabrizio’s father, Giorgetto Giugiaro, led the project.

It’s lower and sleeker than a standard Mustang, with lines that look more at home on an Italian grand tourer than an American pony car. Its appearance made jaws drop at the 1965 New York Motor Show, as this fastback Mustang had new body panels and a glasshouse canopy. Since then, the Bertone Mustang has disappeared, and nobody seems to know what happened to it, but it is believed to still exist.

1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Green Hornet

MotorTrend says the Green Hornet is one of just two notchback prototype Ford Mustangs worked on by Shelby. Apparently, Ford engineers used it to create the California Special, so it was had a modified body with Thunderbird taillights, grille-mounted Marchal fog lamps, and other test pieces.

Shelby then got his hands on it and repainted it a unique dark metallic green, dropped a 428 Cobra Jet engine under the hood, along with some other upgrades, and it was nicknamed the Green Hornet.

2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R

Ford introduced the first SVT Cobra model in 1993, and by 2000, it had already seen several versions. Car & Driver reports that, in 2000, the Mustang SVT Cobra R returned for a limited production run of just 300 cars. There was no regular Cobra this year, so the Cobra R was the only high-performance Mustang available.

It was packing a 5.4-liter DOHC V8 rated at 385 wild broncos, but that number was most likely underrated, as it produced nearly that much on the rear wheels during independent dyno tests .

1970 Mustang Grabber

Old-school Ford enthusiasts have probably heard of the Ford Maverick Grabber, but we bet not as many have heard of the more obscure Mustang Grabber. MotorTrend tells us the Mustang Grabbers were a promotional “special value package” version made to highlight colors such as Grabber Blue, Grabber Orange, Grabber Green, Vermilion, and Bright Yellow.

All Mustang Grabbers were based on the SportsRoof fastback, and other than the special colors, the package included the 302 V8, Boss 302-inspired C-stripes, dual sport mirrors, and flat hubcaps with trim rings. It only added $83 to the price, giving the Mustang a proper muscle car look without costing an arm and a leg.

1964 Indy Pace Car Replica Mustang

MotorTrend reports that when the Mustang debuted in 1964, Ford built three convertibles to be used as the official pace car for the Indy 500. They also made 35 convertible cars for the Indy 500 Festival Parade, and 180 Pace Car replicas based on the hardtop coupe model.

All the 180 replicas were painted a special “Pace Car White” paint, had a white interior with blue appointments, and whereas the original Mustang Pace Car was powered by a detuned GT40 engine, the Replica series had a 260 cubic inch two-barrel V8 under the hood. Ford ended up building around 10 extra Pace Car replicas, bringing the total to 190, and only a handful still exist today.

2011 Ford Mustang Shelby 1000

Accoring to Shelby American , the Shelby 1000 was based on the S197 Shelby GT500, but with even more upgrades to produce as many ponies as the Bugatti Veyron.

Its supercharged 5.4-liter V8 engine is a strong unit in stock form, but it wasn’t designed to contain 1,000 American thoroughbreds, so it was torn down and rebuilt with stronger internals. This may just be the peak Shelby car, and it was the last model Carroll Shelby was involved with before he passed away. Only 23 S197 Shelby 1000s were built, making it a rare and expensive beast.

1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special

According to Autoevolution , Ford originally built the Twister Specials for American Raceways Incorporated, but when ARI went bankrupt, they were repurposed for Kansas City dealers. Ninety-six Mustang Mach 1 Twister Specials were made in 1970. Half of them were fitted with the 351 Cleveland small-block V8, and the other half had the 428ci Super Cobra Jet big-block.

All the Mach 1 Twister Specials were painted Grabber Orange with contrasting black stripes and tornado decals. They also had a shaker hood, bucket seats, a three-spoke steering wheel, Drag Pack suspension, and a Traction-Lok differential.

1965 Ford Mustang Ferguson AWD

Hemmings, the world’s largest collector car marketplace , tells us that UK-based Ferguson Research came up with the idea for an all-wheel drive system that could be used in normal, everyday cars. In 1965, they struck a deal with Ford, which saw two Mustangs get shipped to the Land of Tea and Crumpets in order to be fitted with said system.

Sixty-three percent of the AWD Mustangs’ torque went to the rear wheels. The system worked brilliantly, but the higher-ups at Ford decided it was too expensive and complicated to implement.

1969 Ford Mustang BOSS 429 LID

At first glance, the Ford Mustang BOSS 429 LID doesn’t look all that special, but trust us, it really is. In fact, the regular Mustang BOSS 429 was a monster developed for NASCAR racing with a massive V8 under the hood. That was also the car’s main issue, as the big lump made it front-heavy. According to MotorTrend , the 429 LID is a very different beast.

To improve weight distribution, FoMoCo built this Mustang BOSS 429 LID, where they basically moved the engine behind the driver and turned it into a mid-engined sports car . Although they used as many off-the-shelf parts as possible, they still decided it wasn’t worth the cost and effort, and only one fully functional prototype was built.

2009 Ford Mustang Iacocca 45th Anniversary

Forty-five years after the Mustang made its debut, Ford celebrated two legends at once, the Mustang and Lee Iacocca, one of the most famous American automotive execs and often considered the father of the Ford Mustang .

According to the Mustang Fanclub , all the 2009 Lee Iacocca 45th Anniversary Mustangs were finished in silver paint and were fitted with a supercharged 4.6-liter V8 engine. Inside, they were given luxurious diamond-stitched leather seats, and the headrests were embroidered with Iacocca’s crest. Only 45 cars were, the first one was given to Iacocca.