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Only 13K Miles! 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
Jim ODonnell
I generally eschew high dollar collector cars, the auctions and well-known auto pundits do a pretty thorough job of covering that end of the hobby. I like to lurk around in the more pedestrian side of driver quality cars or maybe even what passes for a wreck that isn’t as done as it initially appears. But when I came across this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429, I had zero choice but to dive in and look closer at this holy grail muscle car. It is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois and available here on eBay for a current bid of $143,820, reserve not yet met.
I can recall when both the Boss 302 and 429 Mustangs were introduced. I preferred the 429 version because of its excessively clean styling and lack of trim as opposed to the busier 302 variant. I had no idea of the significance between the two cars and how the Boss 429 contained no ordinary 429 CI engine as you saw badged on the fender of a Country Squire station wagon. I’m not much of a historian but I can tell you that the entire story around the design and creation of the Boss 429 along with the Kar Kraft connection and NASCAR’s involvement is a fascinating read. We won’t see the likes of an undertaking like that again.
This mustang was owned by its original owner until 1981, and in that twelve years, saw only 13K miles pass beneath its modified shock towers. Since ’81, this Boss has been a garage dweller, accumulating another 30 miles and now it’s for sale. It would seem that both owners knew exactly what they possessed, this was no ordinary Mustang. And examining the images, one can tell this Mustang is in excellent 51-year-old condition, not perfect but in very sound shape. The Wimbleton White finish has nicely aged with a few small nicks but it still has depth and sheen. The minimally adorned body panels hang straight and give no evidence of prior damage. I prefer the body-colored hood scoop on this ’69 example as opposed to the universally black finished scoop as found on the ’70 version. No need to go for Goodyear reproduction Polyglas tires, this Mustang still has its originals, though I would be inclined to limit my motoring and speed on this half-century-old rubber. As is typical, this Boss is equipped with Magnum 500 wheels and there is no sign of thin surface rust invading the chrome rims which seems to happen over time.
The interior of this Ford shows little to no wear though it is rather moldy. The black upholstery fabric, which was the only way the Boss 429 rolled, needs a deep, thorough cleaning but that’s about it. The instrument panel, in particular, looks like new. And a simple, functional instrument panel it is, much preferred to the complex mish-mash often found in more modern cars. As with so many uber, performance cars offered by domestic manufacturers in that halcyon year of 1969, A/C was not an option on the Boss 429 Mustang.
What makes the Boss 429 is its 429 CI, 375 gross HP, V8 engine. Designed for racing modification for NASCAR’s high banks at Daytona or Talledega, this unique motor went the homologation route via the Mustang as opposed to the Torino which was Ford’s primary NASCAR entry. We can debate the horsepower output all-day long and I don’t want to dwell on that aspect of this special engine but it’s not hard to imagine that this big Ford motor was probably underrated. And it makes for an impressive sight with its massive semi-hemi cylinder heads, it is a physically huge engine. Curiously, for such a grade-A muscle car, there is no discussion regarding its operational capability. All Boss 429’s came equipped with a four-speed manual transmission and this example is no different.
This major-domo Mustang is one of 857 produced in ’69 (there were two Mercury Cougars produced with this behemoth engine too). If I have interpreted the Kar Kraft (the firm that made the front-end modifications to accommodate the engine) numbering sequence, this example was the 320th produced. While I’m not a Ford guy, I think this Boss 429 is an absolutely top-flite example of the intersection of domestic performance auto production and motorsports, a bygone era that will not return. Take the motorsports component out of the equation and what’s left is one of the most impressive muscle cars of the time. I’ll never own one, I wouldn’t know what to do with it considering the value (not that I could afford it). I have seen these special cars trade well north of $200K so it’s hard to say where this example will top out. The value has jumped $2,000 while I have been writing this article so we’ll have to keep an eye on it. I know many of our readers bemoan special cars that are hermetically sealed and traded solely on investment value. I’m of that same frame of mind too but I’m afraid that this Boss 429 is destined to stay in investors’ hands, don’t you think?
Have something to sell? List it here on Barn Finds!
More: Boss 429 / Ford Mustang
SHARETWEET
I generally eschew high dollar collector cars, the auctions and well-known auto pundits do a pretty thorough job of covering that end of the hobby. I like to lurk around in the more pedestrian side of driver quality cars or maybe even what passes for a wreck that isn’t as done as it initially appears. But when I came across this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429, I had zero choice but to dive in and look closer at this holy grail muscle car. It is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois and available here on eBay for a current bid of $143,820, reserve not yet met.
I can recall when both the Boss 302 and 429 Mustangs were introduced. I preferred the 429 version because of its excessively clean styling and lack of trim as opposed to the busier 302 variant. I had no idea of the significance between the two cars and how the Boss 429 contained no ordinary 429 CI engine as you saw badged on the fender of a Country Squire station wagon. I’m not much of a historian but I can tell you that the entire story around the design and creation of the Boss 429 along with the Kar Kraft connection and NASCAR’s involvement is a fascinating read. We won’t see the likes of an undertaking like that again.
This mustang was owned by its original owner until 1981, and in that twelve years, saw only 13K miles pass beneath its modified shock towers. Since ’81, this Boss has been a garage dweller, accumulating another 30 miles and now it’s for sale. It would seem that both owners knew exactly what they possessed, this was no ordinary Mustang. And examining the images, one can tell this Mustang is in excellent 51-year-old condition, not perfect but in very sound shape. The Wimbleton White finish has nicely aged with a few small nicks but it still has depth and sheen. The minimally adorned body panels hang straight and give no evidence of prior damage. I prefer the body-colored hood scoop on this ’69 example as opposed to the universally black finished scoop as found on the ’70 version. No need to go for Goodyear reproduction Polyglas tires, this Mustang still has its originals, though I would be inclined to limit my motoring and speed on this half-century-old rubber. As is typical, this Boss is equipped with Magnum 500 wheels and there is no sign of thin surface rust invading the chrome rims which seems to happen over time.
The interior of this Ford shows little to no wear though it is rather moldy. The black upholstery fabric, which was the only way the Boss 429 rolled, needs a deep, thorough cleaning but that’s about it. The instrument panel, in particular, looks like new. And a simple, functional instrument panel it is, much preferred to the complex mish-mash often found in more modern cars. As with so many uber, performance cars offered by domestic manufacturers in that halcyon year of 1969, A/C was not an option on the Boss 429 Mustang.
What makes the Boss 429 is its 429 CI, 375 gross HP, V8 engine. Designed for racing modification for NASCAR’s high banks at Daytona or Talledega, this unique motor went the homologation route via the Mustang as opposed to the Torino which was Ford’s primary NASCAR entry. We can debate the horsepower output all-day long and I don’t want to dwell on that aspect of this special engine but it’s not hard to imagine that this big Ford motor was probably underrated. And it makes for an impressive sight with its massive semi-hemi cylinder heads, it is a physically huge engine. Curiously, for such a grade-A muscle car, there is no discussion regarding its operational capability. All Boss 429’s came equipped with a four-speed manual transmission and this example is no different.
This major-domo Mustang is one of 857 produced in ’69 (there were two Mercury Cougars produced with this behemoth engine too). If I have interpreted the Kar Kraft (the firm that made the front-end modifications to accommodate the engine) numbering sequence, this example was the 320th produced. While I’m not a Ford guy, I think this Boss 429 is an absolutely top-flite example of the intersection of domestic performance auto production and motorsports, a bygone era that will not return. Take the motorsports component out of the equation and what’s left is one of the most impressive muscle cars of the time. I’ll never own one, I wouldn’t know what to do with it considering the value (not that I could afford it). I have seen these special cars trade well north of $200K so it’s hard to say where this example will top out. The value has jumped $2,000 while I have been writing this article so we’ll have to keep an eye on it. I know many of our readers bemoan special cars that are hermetically sealed and traded solely on investment value. I’m of that same frame of mind too but I’m afraid that this Boss 429 is destined to stay in investors’ hands, don’t you think?
Have something to sell? List it here on Barn Finds!
More: Boss 429 / Ford Mustang
SHARETWEET
