If you’re in the market for a late first-gen Mustang and money is no issue, the best you can do is to find a 1969 Boss 429 in mint condition and take it from there. Your second-best option is the 1970 model year version of that same car, which is almost just as desirable.
You might recall our All-Time Best Classic American Muscle Cars story, with a grand finale featuring the Dodge Charger Daytona and the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429. It was the latter that took home the win, becoming our no.1 choice for the perfect classic muscle car.
However, during the Sweet Sixteen round, the ‘69 Boss 429 went up against the ‘70 Boss 429, and now I can’t help but wonder how far the latter could have gone in this “competition” had it escaped that match-up with a victory. Well, it’s conceivable that it could have gone all the way, so in retrospect, calling the ‘70 Boss 429 Mustang “muscle car royalty” is as accurate as a Hawkeye shooting at the Chitauri army.
Now, as luck would have it, we have just found a stunning example of one such vehicle, up for grabs to the highest bidder with just 52,000 miles on its Cobra Jet V8 – 52k miles on an original engine isn’t all that much.
According to the ad, this car was refinished in its factory-original Grabber Blue back in 2013, with further exterior highlights including the front spoiler, hood scoop, chrome bumpers and trim, dual side mirrors, Boss 429 badging, dual exhaust outlets, and a set of chrome-finished 15-inch Magnum 500-style wheels with black accents and Goodyear Polyglas GT rubber.
The vehicle also packs power-assisted brakes, revised control arms, a rear anti-roll bar and a competition suspension with staggered rear shocks.
Photo: Bring a Trailer
Moving on to the interior, that’s where you’ll find the white vinyl front bucket seats and rear bench combo, faux woodgrain trim on the dashboard, console and door panels, plus a Philco AM radio and a Hurst shifter, among other goodies. Fun fact, the ‘69 Boss 429 came with a more traditional-looking shifter, whereas the ‘70 model got the more appealing Hurst variant.
As for performance, that previously mentioned 429 ci Cobra Jet-derived V8 packs a factory-standard four-barrel Holley 735-cfm carburetor, while the optional Drag Pack added the high-lift camshaft with mechanical lifters, plus a few other things. The output was rated at 375 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque, with everything going to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. This is a beast, in absolutely every sense of the word.
Oh, and one last thing. Since Ford built fewer Boss 429 cars for the 1970 model year than it did in 1969, one might conclude that Mustangs such as this one make for a truly rare breed. It’s no wonder that with just one day left to go in the auctioning process, the highest bid has already reached $150,000, which is more than you’d pay for a 2024 Corvette Z06 with every single box ticked on the specs sheet.
