1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
Sold for $275,000 Including Commission
RM Auction, Monterey, CA. 2013
Chassis no. 9F02Z150469
Kar Kraft Number 1255
375 bhp, 429 cu. in. overhead-valve V-8 engine with Holley four-barrel carburetor, four-speed close-ratio manual transmission, independent front suspension via coil springs and upper and lower wishbones, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and front disc and rear drum brakes. Wheelbase: 108 in.

•One of the first 50 "priority built" Boss 429s
•Hand-assembled with numerous unique KKX and XE parts
•Incredibly detailed restoration overseen by Boss 429 expert Ed Meyer
•Original documentation
•One of the very best of the best


During the mid-1960s, the non-competition pact adopted by the Big Three nearly a decade earlier had fallen to shreds, with increasingly open factory-based support provided to supposedly independent racers. Ford, in particular, faced stiff competition from Chrysler in NASCAR competition. The Blue Oval camp required a new engine, but NASCAR rules demanded that at least 500 cars be equipped with the engine and be made available to the public.

Ford developed a new 429-cubic inch V-8 with all-new, free-flowing cylinder heads, an aluminum high-rise intake manifold, a 735 CFM Holley carburetor, 11:1 compression, header-style exhaust manifolds, and a beefy four-bolt main block, conservatively rated at 375 horsepower.

When dropped into the Mustang, at the direction of "Bunkie" Knudsen, it created the Boss 429, a pony car with abundant muscle. To handle the power, the stout "Toploader" four-speed manual transmission and a 3.91:1 Traction-Lok rear axle were mandatory options. Other features included an engine oil cooler, a trunk-mounted battery with a special vent cap system, a competition suspension with front and rear anti-roll bars, power front disc brakes, and fat F60x15 tires. The production process required numerous modifications to accommodate the new engine, including cutting and relocating the shock towers. To alleviate the in-house production burden, Ford had the cars converted at Kar Kraft, of Brighton, Michigan.

At just under $5,000, the Boss 429 was the priciest non-Shelby Mustang to date, and it was available in very limited numbers, with 859 produced for the 1969 model year to meet demand; it was awarded largely by sealed bids to voracious buyers. Ford reportedly lost $1,800 on every one built. Of these, the first cars were so-called "priority build" cars, invoiced through Shelby Automotive—yes, that Shelby—under the early DSO 892000, and they were delivered to Kar Kraft equipped with 428 "Super Cobra Jet" V-8 engines, drivetrains, and performance suspension. Once in Brighton, the cars were changed over to Boss 429 specification, utilizing, in the earliest cars, the 820-S NASCAR-specification version of the 429 V-8, an engine fully unique to the Boss 429. The same as used in Ford's stock cars, this mighty mill began with a high-nickel standard four-bolt block, dressed with Ford heavy-duty one-half-inch bolt "S" rods, forged "S" pistons, a steel crank, screw-in freeze plugs, aluminum hemispherical heads (the first aluminum heads on a Ford), "Ram Air" induction, forged rockers, a staggered valve train, aluminum high-rise Holley carburetor intake, and magnesium valve covers.

Other equipment on this car included power steering, a unique KKX beefed-up competition suspension, staggered rear shocks under a unique rear sway bar (an American car first), and a four-speed close-ratio transmission with a 3.91:1 nodular Track-Lok rear axle.

These were, essentially, NASCAR cars in street-legal trim, which was exactly the point. The Hemi 'Cuda was just an engine that was dropped into a car, while the Boss 429 was custom-built and unique. The cars were delivered to the dealers that Ford considered most important for their "Total Performance" image, those that did a regular business with drag racers who knew good equipment when they saw it. The Blue Oval brass wanted them to see it on the new Boss 429.
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Robert Myrick Photography