Getting Boss'd Around
The Boss Car Nationals was held within the confines of the All-Ford show at Carlisle, and it was the most amazing display of cars I've seen in a long, long time. I'm partial to yellow '69 Boss 302s (I can get picky about year and color since I know I'll never own one), but no matter the year or color, there was an example on the grounds for you to drool over. From ultra-low-mileage concours examples to built-to-the-hilt Restomods, you could have seen it all. Activities included the aforementioned barbeque dinner along with a cruise to the local Hooters, raffle prizes, photography, plaques, racing displays, racing footage, and more. One of the highlights for many was the ability to speak with and get autographs from Bud Moore (of Trans-Am racing fame) and our very own Donald Farr, author of Mustang Boss 302, Ford's Trans-Am Pony Car. Here's a few snapshots of the happenings within the Boss Car Nationals itself.
 The inside display in the...  The inside display in the Boss area contained many low-mileage and ultra-rare Boss cars: the Tasca Boss 429 race car, a 32,000-mile unrestored '69 Boss 302, a '70 Mercury Boss Cyclone Spoiler II prototype experimental for NASCAR, the Checkerboard Maverick race car, Bob Perkins' 2,800-mile Boss 351, a '69 Boss 429 (S Code) with just 54 miles on it, and George Follmer's '70 Boss 302 Trans-Am Mustang, to name a few. |  Outside the building displaying...  Outside the building displaying the Boss collection was one of Bud Moore's Cougars, originally driven by Dan Gurney. What was amazing about this display was the original transporter restored to use for hauling the car. This transporter held everything needed to handle a race, including spare engines, tires, gears, and much more. Notice the fiberglass box mounted in place of the right-side window of the cab unit. That was the sleeping area for the driver, and the driver's head or feet used that spot when sleeping in the cab behind the seats. |  The evening of the barbeque,...  The evening of the barbeque, Boss Car Nationals coordinator and registrar of the Boss 302 registry, Randy Ream, drew door prize tickets (with the help of Donald Farr from Mustang Monthly and some enthusiastic youngsters) for some great door prizes. Would you believe I won a set of rear frame tie-down brackets for a Boss 302? I guess I could say I was working on my Boss 302 one part at a time, but I was a good sport and returned them to the table for someone else to win. |
 On display at the barbeque...  On display at the barbeque dinner was this Boss Reunion banner that car owners, celebrities, and so forth signed. Gary Pechman, who designed the Reunion glass mugs offered to Boss owners, brought it to the Reunion. The banner now resides on the basement wall in the Pechman home. Gary, I signed it, so let me know if you find my name. | | |