The idea of a car manufacturer teaming up with an outsider to produce a promotional vehicle certainly isn’t a fresh concept in the auto industry, with some creations turning out better than others.  One in particular that seemed like a promising endeavor was Ford and 7-Up joining together to create a Limited Edition Mustang convertible, with the original intent being to give away 30 of them during a sporting event.  We’ll get into more details regarding why the plan didn’t materialize in a moment, however, if you’ve been in the market for a somewhat unusual Fox body, this 1990 Ford Mustang 7-Up Edition might be worth checking out.  It can be spotted here on Craigslist in Santa Cruz, California, with the asking price set at $12,900.  Numskal, thanks for your fun tip here!

The original concept sounded like it would be mutually beneficial to both entities, with Ford intending to produce a limited run of its iconic pony car in the colors of a 7-Up can, the latter which was supposed to be one of the sponsors for the NCAA finals back in 1990.  During halftime, handing keys to 30 skilled spectators seemed like a promising way to imprint branding for both 7-Up and Ford, but the event never took place.

What remained was a design that had already been implemented and paid for, so instead of letting it go to waste, Ford followed through and produced more than 4,000 of these cars, lovingly known nowadays as the 7-Up Edition.  The green body and white canvas top mimic the soda can colors, with the car being offered here appearing to remain in decent shape cosmetically, although it would have been a good idea to have cleaned the tires up a bit more before the photo shoot.  The top may be due for replacement material soon, but the paint seems good enough as-is for the car to continue as a nice driver.

Although the LX trim was used, the team got it right under the hood, with each of these Mustangs receiving a 5.0 engine.  We don’t get to view a photo of the engine bay, but the seller says the V8 is running great, and also mentions the automatic transmission has recently received a rebuild.  Drivetrain numbers indicate that of the 4,103 examples made, 1,360 were 5-speeds and the other 2,743 got the automatic.

Everything inside seems stock and well-preserved for the age, with the front buckets showing only a small amount of light wear.  I had these same seats in my Fox Mustang, and they are quite supportive and comfortable, with power lumbar control and adjustable stiffness for the bottom area.  Perhaps the one area that would have been better about the 7-Up design is if a GT model had been used, but at least it’s a 302 and a droptop, so I’m thinking this is a fairly desirable 1990 Ford Mustang.  What are your thoughts?