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.
The Last BossAccording to the Boss 351 Registry (www.boss351registry.com), the last Boss 351 built was assembled on July 27, 1971. That also makes it the last Boss Mustang ever produced. To date, serial number 1F02R230227 has not been located.
The Few And The ProudFor such a revered performance car, Ford produced a relatively small number of Boss Mustangs: only 11,796 over a three-year period. That's less than two percent of all Mustangs built during 1969-1971.
| ’69 Boss 302 | 1,628 |
| ’69 Boss 429 | 849 |
| ’70 Boss 302 | 7,014 |
| ’70 Boss 429 | 500 |
| ’71 Boss 351 | 1,805 |