SCMC News

The Cragar Mustang

By Clem Brown

Anyone who grew up with the 60s and 70s muscle cars is likely familiar with Cragar, the maker of what were probably the most iconic aftermarket performance wheels of the era. Fast forward about 40 years and, in an attempt to re-introduce the brand in the new muscle car era, Cragar decided to develop a special edition 2006 Mustang complete with a plethora of Cragar-branded parts and accessories. Sold through selected Ford dealers, the Cragar Mustang came as a complete turn-key variant, if you had enough money to buy one at approximately $15,000 over the factory price of a Mustang GT Premium.

I saw my first and only Cragar Mustang at Hank’s Dairy Bar last year and spoke to the owner who shared a lot of info about his unique Mustang. Available in only one color, the car included a special polyurethane body kit manufactured by Kaminari which included stainless steel torque-head screws attaching the body-colored fender covers, the matte black side and rear skirts and a special front lip spoiler.  A large hood scoop reminiscent of the 1970 Boss Mustang sits atop the gloss black hood and feeds a unique cold-air intake adding a small bump in horsepower over a standard GT. The stock front bumper cover was also replaced and a special horizontal-slatted grill complete with the Cragar badge was added. The body was finished with special black BOSS-style striping with black rear window louvers, as well as more unique Cragar badging.

As would be expected, the Cragar Mustang sat on aluminum SS Series 610 Cragar wheels backed by Cragar Big Blue high-performance disc brakes and drilled/slotted rotors for better stopping power. A special Cragar exhaust system provided the extra breathing needed to complement the CAI. Cragar Special Edition interior accents including a white cue-ball shift knob, a satin dash panel and logo floor mats.

Each car is sequentially numbered however very little info can be found on the actual numbers produced. The car was not as popular as hoped – many prospective buyers compared them to something ‘Hot Wheels’ would design and saw them lacking in meaningful performance upgrades. Couple this with the rather high price and the volume built was well below expected levels. The car was continued into the 2007 model year, likely because there were many left over parts from the initial year. To boost sales, each new owner also received a ‘goody bag’ with some Cragar swag including a hat, jacket, Cragar key chain, patches and a free subscription to Hot Rod magazine.

Cragar Package Includes:

Tire & Wheel: 4 x 20” Cragar SS Wheels 2@ 20 x 9 and 2@ 20 x 10
4 x High performance tires
Body & Trim: Poly Urethane 11 piece kit w/ stainless steel fasteners
Rear Window Louver
Mustang Shaker Hood
Hood Struts
Stainless Steel Badges (5 Piece)
Graphic Strips
White Cue Ball Shift Knob
Cold Air Intake
Stainless Steel Axel Back Exhaust System
Kit Upgrades both Front & Rear Brakes
Upgraded Calipers
Cross Drilled and Slotted Rotors
Performance Friction Pads
Owners Kit: S/S Logo Medallion Key Chain
Cragar License Plate
Cragar Embroidered Patches
Cragar Sticker Kit
$100.00 Cragar Gift Certificate
1 year subscription to Hot Rod magazine
Sent to customer after warranty registration
Limited 3 year or 36,000 mile warranty