Why Ford's Boss 429 Is King Of The Road!

Why Ford's Boss 429 Is King Of The Road!

They were well made and carefully planned. So why were they also the lowest selling Mustang of the first generation? Simply because the market had grown too big. Mustang sales were cannibalized by an overabundance of muscle car models produced by nearly every car manufacturer in America. Though muscle cars, in general, were a huge hit, there was not enough overall demand for Ford to succeed in the 1970 market. While this meant poor sales for Ford through out 1970, this means a high market price today for these rare 1970 models. 250,000. Yes, the 1970 Mustang is the most valuable first generation Mustang to date! A few changes were made from the 1969 Mustang model, though they were kept at a minimum. The 1970 version came with a scooped fender cap. This was perhaps the most visible change. Ford also added new vertical side markers and the faux exhaust trim was removed.

The standard wheels were upgraded to 500 Chrome Magnum wheels and the Pony emblem was reverted to the center of the grille. This was a change from the 1969 model in which Ford had placed the emblem nearer to the driver鈥檚 side. The 1970 Boss 302 had unique side stripes which started across the top of the hood. The headlights were moved to conform with the grille, and reduced to two rather than four. Functionally, the dual exhaust system was redesigned as well as the competition suspension and the 1970 302 now came with a Hurst shifter. The intake valves were smaller and the chrome was replaced with aluminum. A little over 7,000 of these Boss 302 models were sold. The 1970 Mustang Boss 429 is considered by many to be the greatest Mustang ever made. To date, it is one of the most sought after Mustangs of all time. It鈥檚 low production numbers make it highly collectible, but it is also desired because of it鈥檚 incredibly powerful engine.

The Boss 429 is quite simply THE boss! Ford only made 499 of these, and they limited their production to only white or black interior. If you鈥檙e a serious collector, we highly recommend this model! The Ford Grande鈥?was all about 鈥済randeur鈥? It was only available in Landau style vinyl top and it came with 45 options. These options were upscale in nature and included interior upgrades such as; faux woodgrain dashboard, padded interior side panels, extra-thick carpet on the floorboards, two-tone narrow stripes, racing-style mirrors and chrome rocker panel moldings. It came standard with slotted style wheels or a wire-style wheel cover option. It also had a Rim Blow steering wheel, which allowed the driver to sound the horn by squeezing the wheel. A performance engine could be ordered for it, but it wasn鈥檛 anywhere near the range of a Mach I or Boss engine. A visible difference between the 1969 and the 1970 Mustang Grande鈥?was the Grande logo, which was changed in 1970 from block to script. The 1970 Mach I was virtually identical to the 1969 version.

The Mustang Mach I was similar to a GT fastback but had different stripes and came with a more upscale interior. The new Mach I Mustang included the previous engine options of 200cid I-6, 302cid and 390cid V-8 engines as well as the new option of a 351cid V-8. There was also the option of a 428cid big block as a 335 hp cobra jet V-8 with or without ram-air. In 1970, only 857 Mach I models were equipped with the Super Cobra Jet/Drag Pack. The name Cobra Jet came from the fact that the vehicle shook when the engine started or was revved. A few upgrades were added to complement the new engine options. These included an optional shaker hood scoop, in place of the nonfunctioning scoop, and a vacuum-operated door that opened when the throttle was floored to allow air into the carburetor. This was the American Mach I but Germany prohibited the sale of vehicles under the copywrighted name of Mach I, so Ford was forced to change the name to T-5 for all models sold within Germany. This was a special version of the Mach I that was sold exclusively at Kansas Ford dealerships. Only 96 of these Twister Specials were produced! Little different than the Mach I, there was a wide stripe on the side and a whirling tornado graphic on the rear fender that included the words 鈥淭wister Special鈥?