After American Raceways, Inc., filed bankruptcy in late 1969, Ford found itself with several vehicles that were undergoing modification to become pace cars. At the same time, the Kansas City regional sales office approached Ford about producing some high-performance Mustangs and Torinos specifically for their region. Ford took advantage of this opportunity, using the intended design of the pace cars combined with Mach 1 logos and, at the rear, a special “twister” logo to create the regional Mach 1 Twister. All 96 of these 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twisters were painted Grabber Orange and were slated to be equipped with the hi-po 428 Super Cobra Jet engine – but due to a shortage of motors, half of the Mach 1 Twisters came with a 351 Cleveland V8 instead.