1967 Mustang GTA 390

Black-and-white studio photo of a white 1965 Ford Mustang GT fastback, front three-quarter view, with grille-mounted fog lamps, GT rocker stripe and styled wheels — Shown: 1965 Ford Mustang GT 2+2 fastback in white. No photograph of this model year is on file yet. Ford Motor Company Archives

Factory statusFactory configuration

Body stylefastback

Trim / packageGT Equipment Group with GTA identification

Engine390 cid FE V-8, S-code, four-barrel

Inductionfour-barrel carburetor

Published power320 hp · SAE gross

Published torque427 lb-ft · SAE gross

Forward gears3

TransmissionSelectShift Cruise-O-Matic

Matched period road testUnknown

What this record proves

The badge is only the beginning.

GTA was identification for the SelectShift branch of Ford’s GT Equipment Group, not a different engine family or a lesser imitation of the manual car. The buyer still selected the 390-cubic-inch Thunderbird Special and the GT equipment; the automatic choice changed the identification and the way the driver managed the power team.

Ford advertised SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic as a three-speed automatic that could operate normally or allow manual gear selection. The inspected brochure does not identify the transmission as C6, so this record retains Ford’s printed name. Later shorthand may be familiar, but familiarity is not a substitute for the locator actually supporting this configuration.

The GTA shares the manual car’s published 320 horsepower and 427 lb-ft SAE-gross ratings, yet it is not the same driving proposition. No exact equipped weight or matched period test is attached, so the page does not manufacture a manual-versus-automatic verdict from an unmatched magazine result or a broad body-style specification.