When you stop and think about the Mustang Mach 1, high performance is one of the first things that comes to mind. There are a lot of interesting things about the Mach 1 package to consider. For one thing, it proved so popular that the durable GT option was discontinued, 1969 being the last year. We also know that in 1969 10 different engines were available for the 'Stang. That's a wide selection, where your Mustang could be tailor-made to suit your needs and whims.
Most of the Mach 1s were 351s. These were (and are) great engines, and the 351 Machs were definite contenders. When you're out on a Saturday night around Sacramento, California, you'd better be wary of any black SportsRoof Mustang you roll up next to, because those little numbers on the hood scoop are hard to read. Check the numbers on Barbara Johnson's '69 Mach 1 carefully and you'll notice this isn't a 351. It's a 428 Cobra Jet, genuine and original. We love 351s, but a FE 428 Cobra Jet is a different kettle of fish altogether. This is the mill that took first in NHRA Super Stock in 1968.
Nowadays, some people make the mistake of considering the FE engine a dated design, but these engines have tremendous power potential. Carroll Shelby still makes performance parts for these engines, and FEs can run with the best powerplants out there.
A car this beautiful reminds us of why we got into the hobby. Barbara's car is unmolested and unscratched. The black paint on the car is so nice that you could read a newspaper in its reflection. The hood is the correct flat black, and the stripe graphics are factory and provide a nice low-key enhancement. Those are correct Magnum 500 wheels shod with some fresh BFGoodrich Radial T/As, which provide extra safety and a better ride than the original non-radial tires. The engine will turn anything but monster slicks into cheese spread anyway, but these are good street tires.
Don't expect anything less underhood, where everything is factory-perfect and in spotless repair. We're green with envy when we inspect the original air cleaner with the 428 Cobra Jet markings. Cobra Jet means that those are 427 Low-Riser heads on this bad boy. This car's near the top of the food chain, that's for sure. When we see that it has factory air conditioning, we turn even more green. It has the best of all worlds. Behind the 428 lives a C6 three-speed automatic transmission and 3.00:1 ratio Limited- Slip 9-inch differential. This is cool because it makes all that power easy to use. No missed gears, just a twitchy right foot.
The interior is stock and perfect. The 6x9-inch speakers in the door panels are the only deviation we can see. We can live with those. We wonder if they're hooked up to a factory eight-track tape deck. If so, we'll break out our BTO tapes.
If you love the Blue Oval like we do, there's no need to explain why this car is so special. It has Ford history dripping from every inch. From the Raven Black finish to the 428 Cobra Jet engine, it's a true champion. All you Bow Tie guys, take one step back.