Photo: mopars5150/instagram
A mere whisper about a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 will see aficionados getting excited, not least thanks to the NASCAR firepower of the beast and its rarity. As such, you can imagine the feelings experienced by a group of muscle car rescuers who recently came across such a pony and decided to take it home, in spite of the car's sad story.
Back in the day, Ford wanted to rival Chrysler's 426 HEMI on the NASCAR stage, so its engineers started off with a 385 V8 and developed the amazing 429, with homologation rules stating that at least 500 road cars would be offered with the motor.
The Blue Oval joined forces with Dearborn, Michigan-based Kar Kraft, a Ford-dedicated specialist that had developed projects such as the Le Mans-winning GT40 - the latter revised the front end of the car so this could house the 7.0-liter V8. However, with the exception of the larger hood scoop, the Boss 429 shows a restrained look.
Only 859 units were built for 1969, the year this example belongs to, with just 499 cars coming the following year, so we're talking about an uber-rare bird here. All of them were manuals, while the sheer size of the engine meant there was no room for air conditioning.
Now, this example, which appears to be an original, comes dressed in Candy Apple Red, one of the five hues offered for 1969. Alas, the vehicle, which was discovered just outside Huston by a gearhead named Andy Garcia, as mentioned in the comments section of the Instagram post below, is missing the very thing that sets it apart, namely its engine (as well as the gearbox).
Then again, the said nature of the car was enough to convince Instagram user Mopars5150 to take the thing home. And, once again as highlighted in the comments of the post showcasing the vehicle, this is not for sale, nor is throwing any V8 into it the plan.
So, here's to hoping the said enthusiasts manage to track down the powetrain this piece of American history deserves.
Meanwhile, you can check out the current state of the car, which had been sitting since 1973. Apparently, this only has 11,000 miles on the odo and, as the guy states, the original interior comes to confirm this.
The Blue Oval joined forces with Dearborn, Michigan-based Kar Kraft, a Ford-dedicated specialist that had developed projects such as the Le Mans-winning GT40 - the latter revised the front end of the car so this could house the 7.0-liter V8. However, with the exception of the larger hood scoop, the Boss 429 shows a restrained look.
Only 859 units were built for 1969, the year this example belongs to, with just 499 cars coming the following year, so we're talking about an uber-rare bird here. All of them were manuals, while the sheer size of the engine meant there was no room for air conditioning.
Now, this example, which appears to be an original, comes dressed in Candy Apple Red, one of the five hues offered for 1969. Alas, the vehicle, which was discovered just outside Huston by a gearhead named Andy Garcia, as mentioned in the comments section of the Instagram post below, is missing the very thing that sets it apart, namely its engine (as well as the gearbox).
Then again, the said nature of the car was enough to convince Instagram user Mopars5150 to take the thing home. And, once again as highlighted in the comments of the post showcasing the vehicle, this is not for sale, nor is throwing any V8 into it the plan.
So, here's to hoping the said enthusiasts manage to track down the powetrain this piece of American history deserves.
Meanwhile, you can check out the current state of the car, which had been sitting since 1973. Apparently, this only has 11,000 miles on the odo and, as the guy states, the original interior comes to confirm this.
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