1969-1970 Ford Mustang: Boss, Mach 1, and Grande (Part 3)

1969-1970

The Ford Mustang was restyled again in 1969: 4
headlights, 4 inches longer, and half an inch wider.  There were three
new trim packages offered for the Boss, Mach 1, Grande, and GT, all
performance models except for the Grande, which was intended as a sort
of luxury Mustang.  There was also a special edition economy model with
a 250 cubic inch six cylinder called the Mustang E, but they were very
limited (50 units made).

A wide variety of engines were offered in the different trim lines,
such as the 302, 351, 390, 428, and 429. The horsepower of the various
engines ranged from 220 horsepower to 376 horsepower in the Boss 429. 
The 1969 Shelby Mustangs were back again, featuring similar high
performance engines as the prior year along with exterior changes to
set them apart from the GT’s.  The Mustang Mach 1 was basically a higher
performance Mustang GT with the addition of nicer interior and
reflective stripes, a rear wing, side window louvers, and a shaker hood
scoop.  The Mach 1 could be ordered with either the 302 Hi-Po, 351, or
428 Cobra Jet engine.  In some cases, the performance of the Mach 1 was
not enough, and that was when the Boss Mustangs came into play.  The
Boss Mustangs were offered in two forms, the first of which was the
Boss 302, which was like the Mach 1 in that it was basically a high
performance GT 302 equipped with exterior trim. The second of the Boss
models is one of the most powerful factory Mustangs ever built in Ford
history, the Boss 429.  This Mustang’s 429 cubic inch engine was
straight out of the NASCAR race teams, and was actually built by a
third party customizing company for Ford Motor Company.  Only 867 Boss
429s were built, so getting your hands on one of these today will cost
you quite a bit, much like it did back then.

The shocking news of 1970: the Mustang GT was no longer offered. The
Mach 1, Grande, and Boss Mustangs returned and very little changed with
their trim lines or with the Mustang as a whole.  Engine offerings were
similar to those of 1969, with the exception of a new cylinder head
design on the Boss 429’s, a hemispherical head added in an effort to
keep pace with Chrysler’s 426 Hemi; with over 50 less horsepower than
the Chrysler Hemi, it was a constant uphill battle for Ford.  There
were however, 2 specially built Boss Mustang 429 Lawmen with around
1200 horsepower, built for tours of US armed servicemen. Never offered
up for public sale, the last one in the world is owned by ex-NFL,
ex-WWF member, and major car collector Bill Goldberg.  1970 also lacked
a new Shelby Mustang model, so Ford re-titled the remaining 1969
Shelby’s.

— by Patrick

We covered the car, now you tell us about the driver. Your thoughts on the classic Mustang?