Why This Car Is Special

The 2009 Ford Mustang GT/CS California Special is already a limited-production variant with a documented heritage. Add a Roush supercharger package to that combination and you have something considerably harder to find. This is not a standard GT convertible with a few bolt-ons. It is a factory-optioned California Special that left the showroom with the GT/CS appearance package intact, and then received a comprehensive Roush performance build on top of it — supercharger, intercooler, cold air intake, tubular headers, and suspension upgrades all working together as a system.

The California Special name goes back to 1968, when Ford offered a regional appearance package for the California market built on the GT fastback. Ford brought the name back for the 2007 model year as the GT/CS, applying it to Mustang GT coupes and convertibles equipped with specific exterior trim, unique interior badging, and the GT/CS rear spoiler. The package was available through 2009 before the S197 generation moved into its mid-cycle refresh. That makes this 2009 Ford Mustang GT/CS one of the last examples produced before the styling and mechanical updates that arrived with the 2010 model year.

The base 4.6-liter three-valve V8 in the 2009 Mustang GT was rated at 300 horsepower from the factory. Roush Performance, founded by racing legend Jack Roush, has been building Ford performance vehicles and components since the 1990s and is one of the few aftermarket tuners with deep enough Ford roots to be taken seriously in Mustang circles. The Roush supercharger kit fitted to this car is a positive displacement blower — the type that builds boost immediately off idle rather than waiting for high rpm — paired with an intercooler to lower intake charge temperatures and protect the engine under sustained use. The result is a meaningfully different driving experience than the naturally aspirated GT, and the "ROUSHCHARGED" badge on the hood scoop announces that fact without any ambiguity.

The VIN on this car decodes to confirm it is a convertible body style, built at the Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant, with the 4.6-liter V8 and 5-speed manual transmission. The GT/CS package is confirmed by the exterior trim details present on the car.

This is a car for someone who wants the open-air experience of a Mustang convertible, the collector appeal of the California Special package, and genuine forced induction performance — all in one place, already assembled and sorted.

Features List

• Roush supercharged 4.6L three-valve V8
• Roush positive displacement supercharger with intercooler
• Roush cold air intake
• Roush tubular headers
• 5-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter and Hurst shift knob
• GT/CS California Special package
• Black soft convertible top with glass rear window
• Black and gray two-tone leather bucket seats
• 18-inch polished aluminum Pony wheels
• Four-wheel disc brakes with upgraded suspension arms
• VDO boost gauge and AEM air/fuel ratio gauge
• Interceptor scan gauge
• Polished strut tower brace
• Shaker 500 audio system
• GT/CS side stripe decals, body side scoops, and rear spoiler
• Fog lights
• Air conditioning
• Mustang door sill plates
• Roush floor mats
• Dual exhaust tips

Mechanical

The heart of this 2009 Ford Mustang GT/CS is the 4.6-liter modular V8 equipped with the Roush supercharger system. Roush uses a positive displacement blower on this application, which means boost pressure is proportional to engine speed and builds linearly rather than surging at a specific rpm threshold. The intercooler fitted alongside it reduces the temperature of the compressed intake charge, which both protects the engine and allows it to make more power consistently. Supporting that blower is a Roush cold air intake that draws from outside the engine compartment's heat, and Roush tubular headers that reduce exhaust backpressure and help the engine breathe more efficiently on the exhaust side. The combination works as a matched system rather than a collection of independent modifications.

The 5-speed manual transmission is backed by a Hurst short-throw shifter with the classic white Hurst ball shift knob. Hurst has been making performance shifters since the early 1960s and their hardware remains a recognized benchmark for feel and precision in the manual transmission market. The swap from the stock shifter is immediately noticeable in the shorter gate travel and more positive shift action.

Underneath the car, the upgraded suspension arms are clearly visible in the undercarriage photos — finished in red, they replace the stock units to tighten up the rear geometry. The 2009 Mustang GT used a solid rear axle with a three-link setup, and improving the control arm geometry is one of the most effective ways to reduce axle hop under hard acceleration and improve overall rear-end stability. Four-wheel disc brakes are present, appropriate for the power level this car is making. The polished strut tower brace in the engine bay adds chassis rigidity at the front suspension pickup points, which matters more in a convertible than in a coupe because the absence of a fixed roof reduces overall torsional stiffness.

The underside photos show a clean floor pan, the dual exhaust routing from the headers back to the rear-exit tips, and the rear suspension components in detail. This car has been up on a lift and examined thoroughly.

Interior

The cabin of this 2009 Ford Mustang GT/CS California Special is finished in a two-tone black and gray leather combination. The bucket seats use a ribbed gray leather center panel with darker outer bolsters, and the rear seat follows the same pattern. The leather is in condition consistent with a used car that has been driven rather than stored, with the expected wear present on the seat bolsters. The interior is honest and presentable.

The Hurst shifter is the visual centerpiece of the center console area. The white ball knob with the Hurst logo is the same style used on performance Fords and Pontiacs dating back decades, and it fits the character of this car well. The leather shift boot surrounds the base cleanly.

On the driver's side A-pillar, three gauges are mounted in a vertical pod. At the top is a VDO boost gauge reading to 15 PSI, which gives the driver real-time information on what the supercharger is producing under load. Below it is an Interceptor scan gauge that reads OBD-II data from the car's computer — coolant temp, intake air temp, fuel trims, and other parameters depending on configuration. The bottom gauge is an AEM wideband air/fuel ratio gauge. Together these three instruments give the driver meaningful data about how the forced induction system is operating, which is useful both for daily driving awareness and for anyone who wants to tune the car further.

The Shaker 500 audio system is the factory-installed sound package for this generation Mustang, featuring the speakers integrated into the door panels on both sides. The cabin also has factory air conditioning. GT/CS badging is present on the door sill plates, along with the Roush floor mats that identify the performance package. The 2005-2009 Mustang interior used retro-inspired gauge cluster styling with round instrument binnacles and chrome bezels, referencing the original 1960s Mustang dash layout. The speedometer reads to 140 mph, appropriate given the power output of this car.

The black soft convertible top is in good condition, and importantly it is fitted with a glass rear window rather than the plastic rear window that was standard on many convertibles of this era. Glass does not craze, cloud, or crack the way plastic does over time, and it provides significantly better rearward visibility.

Exterior

Performance White is the exterior color on this 2009 Ford Mustang GT/CS California Special. White was a historically appropriate choice for a California Special — the original 1968 CS was available in several colors including white, and the combination of white paint with the GT/CS black side stripes and scoops is visually clean and direct. The GT/CS side stripe runs the length of the door with the GT/CS badge integrated into it. The body side scoops ahead of the rear wheels are non-functional on the production car but are a defining visual element of the California Special package, referencing the scoops used on special-edition Mustangs going back to the late 1960s.

The GT/CS rear spoiler is a lower, more integrated unit than the standard GT wing, giving the rear end a cleaner roofline when the top is up. Up front, the fog lights are present in the lower bumper valance, and the front bumper cover shows the supercharger intercooler visible through the lower grille opening — the intercooler sits at the front of the engine compartment and uses the front opening to receive airflow. The hood carries the "ROUSHCHARGED" badge on the functional hood scoop.

The 18-inch polished aluminum Pony wheels are the period-correct wheel for this model, featuring a five-spoke design with the running pony center cap. They are sized correctly for the car and the tire profile visible in the photos appears to be a performance-oriented low-profile fitment appropriate for the Roush suspension setup.

The undercarriage photos are worth examining carefully. The floor pan is solid. The exhaust routing is clean, running from the Roush tubular headers at the front of the engine bay, along the full length of the car, and exiting through the dual tips integrated into the rear valance. The rear suspension components are visible and consistent with a car that has been driven and maintained rather than neglected.

Conclusion

The 2009 Ford Mustang GT/CS California Special is a recognizable variant in its own right — a limited-availability package with historical roots and specific visual identity. This particular example goes further by adding the Roush supercharger system, upgraded suspension geometry, Hurst shifter hardware, and a full instrument package to monitor the forced induction system. It is a convertible, which opens up the driving experience, and the glass rear window is a detail that matters for long-term usability. The combination of the GT/CS package and the Roush build in Performance White with a 5-speed manual is a specification that takes some looking to find. This car is in Sarasota and available for inspection.

To ask questions or schedule a time to see this 2009 Ford Mustang GT/CS California Special in person, call Skyway Classics at 941-254-6608.

Disclaimer

Information found on the website is presented as given to us by the owner of the car, whether on consignment or from the owner we bought it from. Some Photos, materials for videos, descriptions and other information are provided by the consignor/seller and is deemed reliable, but Skyway Classics does not warranty or guarantee this information. Skyway Classics is not responsible for information that may incorrect or a publishing error. The decision to purchase should be based solely on the buyers personal inspection of the vehicle or by a professional inspection service prior to offer or purchase being made.