'69-'70 Boss 302Like the 428 Cobra Jet, the Boss 302 arrived just in time. Designed to compete with Chevrolet's Z/28 Camaro both on and off the track, the Boss 302 revived Ford's small-block performance image after nearly a year-and-a-half lapse since the 289 High Performance went away after 1967.
According to the drag tests of the day, the '69-'70 Boss 302 Mustang was a steady high-14-second performer. Super Stock magazine, which was known for tweaking its test cars to get the best times possible, managed a 14.03 with experienced drag racers behind the wheel of a 4.30-geared '70 model. With slicks and the Shaker air-cleaner assembly removed, the Super Stock crew dropped the e.t. to 13.43 at 102.70 mph.
| '70 Boss 302 | 14.03/100.55 | 4-spd. | 4.30 | Super Stock, Jan. 1970 |
| '69 Boss 302 | 14.57/97.57 | 4-spd. | 3.50 | Car & Driver, June 1969 |
| '70 Boss 302 | 14.62/97.50 | 4-spd. | 3.91 | Hot Rod, Jan. 1970 |
| '69 Boss 302 | 14.75/98 | 4-spd. | 3.50 | Super Stock, Sept. 1969 |
| '69 Boss 302 | 14.85/96.15 | 4-spd. | 3.91 | Car Life, Sept. 1969 |
| '70 Boss 302 | 14.93/93.45 | 4-spd. | 3.91 | Car & Driver, Feb. 1970 |
| '70 Boss 302 | 14.98/96.87 | 4-spd. | 3.91 | Car Life, June 1970 |
| '69 Boss 302 | 15.0/96 | 4-spd. | 3.50 | Sports Car Graphic, June 1969 |
| '70 Boss 302 | 15.8/90 | 4-spd. | 3.50 | Motor Trend, April 1970 |
'69-'70 Boss 429With all the praise heaped on the Mach 1 and Boss 302, the Boss 429 Mustang must have raised the expectations of the magazine road testers. Even though Super Stock and Hi-Performance Cars posted solid 13-second times for the '69 Boss 429 (apparently with the same car obtained from a Ford dealership), they were less than flattering with their headlines of "Ford's Not-So-Boss 429" and "Boss Loss." It almost sounds as if they were expecting a 12-second factory musclecar right out of the box, and they were disappointed when the big hemi-headed 429 mustered only 13s. However, Car Life came away impressed, even with a 14.09 e.t., as they tagged the Boss 429 as the "best enthusiast car Ford has ever built."
| '69 Boss 429 | 13.34/112 | 4-spd. | 3.91 | Cars, Sept. 1969 |
| '69 Boss 429 | 13.64/104.65 | 4-spd. | 3.91 | Super Stock, June 1969 |
| '69 Boss 429 | 14.09/102.85 | 4-spd. | 3.91 | Car Life, July 1969 |
'71 429 CJApparently, the debut of the 429 Cobra Jet in the '71 Mustang was overshadowed by the new-for-'71 Boss 351. Thanks to GaS Publishing's How Fast Were They? we know that at least three major magazines tested the 429 CJ Mach 1. Unfortunately, none of the magazines could be found in our magazine library, so we were unable to verify the times and information about the cars.