One of the most-iconic of all muscle cars, the Mustang Boss 429 was created by Ford to take on the big guns in high-speed NASCAR racing, but quite a few of them found their way onto the drag strip.
Arguably the most-famous of the quarter-mile racers was Boss 429 No. KK1213, the fourth prototype built by Kar Kraft for Ford, and since the earlier prototypes are no longer with us, it is the earliest Boss 429 known to exist. It originally was raced by Dave Lyall, a test technician for Ford who competed with the car in the NHRA, with the assistance of Ford’s Total Performance racing program.
That 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 is the Pick of the Day, a notable historic race car with fully known and documented provenance, and offered on ClassicCars.com by a private owner in Boise, Idaho.
The Boss was restored during the ownership of noted Ford collector Richard Ellis, who 10 years ago found KK1213 for sale on eBay and, during the restoration, reunited the car with its original numbers-matching 429cid engine. It retains the parts with which it originally raced, including the dual Holley 750-cfm carburetors on a high-rise Weiand intake manifold that Lyall developed for NHRA Pro Stock competition.
“A recent restoration finished in its racing livery recreated exactly as it was raced most of its life, all the details have been painstakingly reproduced even down to the hand- painted sponsorship graphics,” the seller says in the ad. “November 2017, KK1213 was shown and judged at the Muscle car & Corvette Nationals, where it was awarded concours Gold and scored 986 out of a thousand (judging documents available).”
The Boss 429 has a robust competition and ownership history. In the ClassicCars.com ad, the current seller provides a link to a magazine story in Mustang 360, an enthusiast publication that zeroes in on its full history, including technical details of its build by Lyall.
The seller does not provide an asking price in the ad, requesting potential buyers to make contact. According to the Hagerty Price Guide, a 1969 Mustang Boss 429 ranges to value from $229,000 for one in good condition to $430,000 for concours condition.
But KK1213 is a very special Boss, and its provenance as the earliest example and with noteworthy racing history, as well as restoration to its period racing spec, should make it worth quite a bit more.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Very interesting and great that someone was able to get it back to a numbers matching car. Take note that the picture of the 429 doing a wheelie cannot be this 1969 Boss since the one pictured is a 1970 Model.
At some point, Dave Lyall installed the grille, taillights and rear panel from a 1970 Mustang Boss onto his 1969 race car. That’s in the Mustang 360 story which is linked from our story. I’ll make note of the difference in the caption. The photo is correct.
Why is it shown as a 1969 and 1970 ?
I remember this car. Those were the days.
The photo you clame to be the 69 boss you have with a 70 grill, is a 1970 mustang. Look at the quarter panel just behind the door handel. It’s a 70 for shure. Not the same car you have. I’ve owned both years of mustang, easy to tell the difference at a glance. Have a blessed day.
I love the Big Fords but of course NASCAR outlawed them before they could upset the MOPAR gang. I own a 1969 R code with a 428 Super Cobra Jet with 4 speed and 391 posi.
Do you remember the Fred Grande Ford – Boss 429 Mustang that was a Pro Stock car run by Ernie MacEwen and Floyd Williams?