Car: Ford Mustang “Boss 429” Fastback Coupe
Year: 1969
What makes it special: Muscle car fans thought the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 would be the Mustang to finally rival the best of the Corvettes, but Ford never intended the Boss 429 as a street dominator, or as any kind of drag-racing threat. The Boss 429 was born of Ford’s need to qualify 500 examples of its new racing engine for NASCAR. But instead of putting production units in the midsize Torino’s it ran in stock-car racing, Ford offered the engines in its restyled ’69 Mustang fastback.
What made it famous: A serious mill: four-bolt mains, a forged steel crankshaft, and big-port, staggered-valve aluminum heads with crescent-shaped combustion chambers. A 735-cfm Holley 4-barrel with ram-air, an aluminum high-riser, and header-type exhaust manifolds completed the engine. Mandatory options included a 4-speed and a 3.91:1 Traction-Lok. An oil cooler, trunk-mounted battery, beefed suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars, Polyglas F60X15s, quicker power steering, and power front discs rounded out the functional hardware. Boss 429’s used Mustang’s plushest interior decor and an 8000-rpm tach. They were clean outside, with simple decals, hood scoop, front spoiler, and Magnum 500 wheels. This was the costliest non-Shelby Mustang, and part of the expense was a reworked front suspension to fit the big Semi-Hemi 429. The surprising upside was a wider front track and improved geometry that, with the husky tires, gave the Boss 429 fine handling.
Why I would want one: It’s one of the greatest Mustang body styles and one of Ford’s most iconic big-block motors combined. The question would be, who WOULD’NT want one?
Fun fact: Air conditioning and automatic transmission were forbidden on a 1969 Boss 429 Mustang.
