In the '60s, lovers of sports cars had roughly two options. First, there were the exotic imports from Europe, such as MGs and Alfa Romeos, cars which favored pretty looks, modest power, and lithe, agile handling over straight line speed. Then there were the new, brutish muscle cars, a segment kickstarted by the Pontiac GTO, and quickly gaining traction (or not, if the V8 under the hood had enough power) as an affordable way to go very fast. The two types of cars couldn't be more different, with approaches that were polar opposites of each other.But one car managed to bring the best of Europe and America together in one genius piece of engineering. The legendary Carroll Shelby decided to take the featherweight AC Ace from Great Britain and remix it with some American muscle, in the form of Ford's legendary 427 FE big block V8. Suddenly, here was a delicate European sports car that had a huge slug of US power — no wonder it was the world's fastest car over the quarter mile in the '60s. But that wasn't the only bit of Euro/ American blend that was as tasty as a Chicago deep dish pizza. There was another American car that quietly got rebooted with some Italian passion, albeit with slightly different results than the Cobra. This Ford Mustang is unusual, quirky, and the rarest you will find on the planet.HotCars used specialist resource Hagerty Valuation Tools for the secondhand prices in this article. We also referenced the sales description from a Bringatrailer.com listing. This article is not intended as buying or investment advice. The 1967 GT Zagato Elaborazione 289 Is A Forgotten Ford Mustang Bring a Trailer While the AC Ace was a European model that caught the eye of an American specialist, in the case of the GT Zagato Elaborazione 289, it was the other way around. In the mid '60s, Ford was selling an unbelievable amount of its new pony car, with even families snapping one up instead of a regular sedan, and sales figures were consistently half a million units or more a year. While there were a lot of words that could describe the Mustang — cool, attractive, affordable...etc...etc — but you wouldn't exactly call it rare. An Italian Coachbuilder Decided To See If It Could Make The Mustang Even Better Looking One company that does know a thing or two about creating unique and tantalizingly scarce sports cars is Zagato, an Italian coachbuilding firm founded by Ugo Zagato in 1919. The Lombardy, Italy, based company, was making headlines with vehicles such as the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato. This reimagined DB4 was unveiled at the London Motor Show in 1960 and came complete with a lightweight body crafted by Zagato. Only 19 examples were produced and while the new price of $7,200 was seen as expensive, it is nothing compared to the $14million or so you'd expect to pay for one of these cars today. The Mustang Would Be In Safe Hands At Zagato, Right? Bring a Trailer So, back to the Mustang. In the spring of 1967, two Wimbledon White Mustangs were shipped from the Ford assembly line to Zagato's facilities in Italy. One was a rare Shelby GT350, and the other was a fastback GT equipped with a 289-cubic-inch V8 and a four-speed manual. The GT350 received a front end redesign and a dramatic Corvette-style wrapover rear window. That car is said to have been found in an Italian junkyard in 1974, before being returned to running order, and becoming a race car in the late '80s. These days it has an easier life, popping up from time to time at classic car meet-ups. The Ford Mustang GT Zagato Elaborazione 289 is a little more well known. This car was repainted Holly green and also extensively remodeled by Zagato. A Closer Look At The 1967 GT Zagato Elaborazione 289 Bring a Trailer As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Few people, however, would argue that the original Lee Iacocca-envisaged Mustang is an ugly car. The OG 'Stang is arguably the most honest and genteel of the long-running model's designs. It's pretty, not overly muscular, and classless — the perfect sports car, some might say. Even Zagato had its work cut out improving the design of the Mustang, then. The Italian company created an almost entirely new front end, with bespoke hood scoop, narrower grille, plus a modified bumper with turn signals mounted above, and rectangular Carello headlights that make it look weirdly like a '70s Ford Capri. Meanwhile, the rear bodywork was left virtually untouched, making it easily recognizable to anyone following as nothing other than a Ford Mustang. The Zagato Mustang Is A Usable Everyday Classic Bring A Trailer Inside, the seats were retrimmed in two-tone upholstery, with the low-back front bucket seats trimmed in white with black inserts, while the folding rear bench, dashboard, and door panels now have black vinyl upholstery. The car is fitted with a four-speed manual transmission, air conditioning, and has a push-button radio and a center console that features brushed metal trim accents. There is even a fire extinguisher mounted in the passenger footwell for an added touch of safety. Steel wheels are covered in full trims and the tires have a bit of old school whitewall going on. The brakes are power-assisted front discs and rear drums, and the car has a front sway bar. The 289-ci Challenger Special V8 is fitted with a four-barrel carburetor and wrapped stainless-steel headers that flow into a dual exhaust system with a crossover pipe. Here's What Happened To The 289 Zagato Mustang Bring A Trailer The Ford Mustang GT Zagato Elaborazione 289 was taken off the road in 1989 by its original owner and mothballed until 1995. Ready for a new lease of life, it was then sold to the family of Fabio Di Pasquale, who would keep it until 2025. The car was repainted in the original white and was driven regularly for the next 20 years. In 2019, the Zagato Mustang was refurbished and also returned to Holly Green, before participating in the 2021 Mille Miglia shortly after. In 2025, this rare one-of-one Mustang Zagato (OK, one of two if you count the other considerably different 350GT Zagato) went up for sale in 2025 at sales specialist Bringatrailer.com. Backing up its history was a Zagato Confirmation Letter and an FIVA Identity Card. The Zagato Mustang Sold For Almost $200,000 In 2025 Bring A Trailer The sale of the car, which was located in Chieti, Italy, generated plenty of interest, especially as it was the rarest example of a relatively common classic muscle car. In the end, the Zagato Mustang sold for €155,000, which equates to around $179,260. Depending on how you look at it, that's a lot of money for a Mustang, or a good price for a unique piece of automotive history. For comparison, a base 1967 Ford Mustang fastback with a 289 V8 will cost around $34,000, according to Hagerty Valuation Tools in 2025.Source: Hagerty
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