December 1, 2014
The Stephen Cox Blog is Presented by McGunegill Engine Performance
The short-lived Ford Mustang Boss 429, one of the rarest and most prized cars of the muscle era, was built and sold only in 1969 and 1970.
First year “Boss 9's” came with black interiors and five very basic exterior color options. Not one of those options was renewed for 1970, when Ford introduced five entirely new exterior colors for the final year of Boss production. The new colors were splashy, bright and fun, and for the first time were also available with a white interior option.
Most buyers opted for Ford's attractive and highly fluorescent “Grabber” colors (green, blue, orange) or the equally vibrant “Calypso Coral” with a contrasting black interior. These colors were easily distinguished from a distance and were designed to compete directly with the spectrum of bright, wild colors marketed by Chrysler for its own muscle car lineup.
But the fifth available color option on the 1970 Boss 429's was a surprisingly mild Pastel Blue that, when viewed from a distance, looked strikingly similar to Ford's long-established Wimbledon White which had earned fame on earlier Mustangs from the 1960's.
Although it appeared white to the casual observer, when closely studied, Pastel Blue was indeed blue. A beautiful shade of light aqua was hidden deep within the paint mix and could only be appreciated from a close distance under favorable lighting conditions.
Although it appeared white to the casual observer, when closely studied, Pastel Blue was indeed blue. A beautiful shade of light aqua was hidden deep within the paint mix and could only be appreciated from a close distance under favorable lighting conditions.
Few Boss 429 buyers opted for a mild color like Pastel Blue on such a vicious, unforgiving muscle car. And only two customers chose to combine it with Ford's new white interior option.
“There were eighteen Bosses in pastel blue built in 1970,” said Steve Zelle, owner of 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 KK2290 that was unveiled to the public at last month's Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals in Chicago. “And out of that eighteen there were two of them with a white interior. We knew it was a very rare car when we bought it. I just love the color. In fact, the color on the car when it was restored previously in 2008 actually had a lot more bluish-green cast to it. So it wasn't the proper color.”
Zelle's recent restoration, completed only days before the car's public unveiling, corrected the issue and stayed faithful to the precise shade of Pastel Blue that was original to the car. And Zelle was careful to restore the car to driving condition with the full intent of driving it to car shows around the country.
“That was one of the decisions we had to make,” Zelle said. “We knew if we took it to trailer concourse level that we probably wouldn't be driving it down the road. But we like to go to the car shows and this is actually the biggest show that we've gone to. It's been a complete enjoyment. We were here (at Chicago's Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals) last year and it's pretty neat.”
“It's definitely not a comfortable car to drive. But it does have a lot more power than any car today has. But the comfort and the luxury that cars have now, well, cars back then didn't have that. It's more of a raw feel, but it's definitely a fun car to drive.”
“I know a lot of people put a lot of emphasis on the '69 Boss 429's, and a lot of people put a lot of emphasis on the Raven Black (1969 color option) because they are a sharp looking car, but I don't think I would trade it.”
Stephen Cox
Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions
Co-host, Mecum Auto Auctions on NBCSN
Boschett Timepieces/McGunegill Engines #21
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