On January 15, 1969, the first Boss 429 Mustang rolled off the Kar Kraft post-assembly line in Brighton, Michigan, to usher in the Boss era of Mustang performance. For the next two years and a few months, Boss 302s, 351s, and 429s would set new standards for musclecars, not only for Ford but for the musclecar movement in general.
In April 1969, the Boss 302 became the second of the series, although technically Ford designer Larry Shinoda first came up with the Boss name specifically for Ford's new competitor to Chevrolet's Trans-Am. Naturally, the name fit the 429 as well, especially since both the Boss 302 and Boss 429 engines were homologated for racing--Trans-Am for the Cleveland-headed 302 and NASCAR for the hemi-headed 429--in production Mustangs. Both cars were produced in late 1969 through 1970.
With racing activity banned at Ford, the Boss 351 arguably became the best of the lineage. The combination of medium-displacement and large-valve, large-port Cleveland heads produced a more streetable performance engine, one that propelled the larger '71 fastback body style down the quarter-mile in under 14 seconds.
In this article, we're celebrating some of the best of the best Bosses. Three and a half decades after that first Boss 429 hit the street, the Boss Mustangs are still among the most revered of the Mustang musclecars.
How you can argue with a Boss 429 with a Hampton 6-71 blower sticking out of the engine compartment?
In 1970, lawyer and drag racer Al Eckstrand put together a Lawman Racing Team, consisting of two 780hp Boss 429 Mustang drag cars and six 428 Cobra Jet Mach 1s, to tour U.S. military facilities around the world. It was during the Vietnam War, and servicemen were happy to see some of the musclecars from back home. Of course, Ford also hoped they would visit their local Ford dealer when they returned to the United States.
Two Lawman Boss 429s were built, one for Eckstrand demonstrations in Southeast Asia and the other for use as a show car in Europe. The first car was destroyed at sea when an 8-ton ship container fell on it, so Eckstrand hastily finished the second car, which was flown by Air Force transport to the south Pacific. Over the next three years, the Lawman United States Performance Team performed demonstrations to an audience of over 240,000 servicemen.
In 1999, Eckstrand reacquired the Lawman Boss 429 from Sam Eidy, who had purchased the car and maintained it as a tribute to Eckstrand. The car had its second debut, with Eckstrand by its side, at the Carlisle All-Ford Nationals.