September 15, 2016
Posted By : Barrett-Jackson
Written By : independent automotive journalist Steve Statham

BUILT TO WIN: Factory-special muscle cars went to every extreme to beat the competition

BUILT TO WIN: Factory-special muscle cars went to every extreme to beat the competition

September 15, 2016
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Statham

This matching-numbers, early-production 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot #749) with the S-code NASCAR motor is just one of several race-bred cars crossing the block at the upcoming Las Vegas auction.

This matching-numbers, early-production 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot #749) with the S-code NASCAR motor is just one of several race-bred cars crossing the block at the upcoming Las Vegas auction.

This rare Boss 429 (Lot #749) is heavily documented and has only 21,400 miles on the clock.

This rare Boss 429 (Lot #749) is heavily documented and has only 21,400 miles on the clock.

Trace the bloodlines of the American muscle car and you’ll find two distinct breeds. On the one hand are the mass-market, high-volume muscle cars so many of us grew up driving and, later, lovingly restoring. These cars delivered big-grin performance, but were tuned for daily driving and usually equipped with the same comforts and features you’d find on the family cars of the day.

On the other hand are those special cars concocted deep within the corporate skunkworks, or hand-built by small manufacturers and dealers, for the express purpose of racing ‒ either on a sanctioned racetrack or the street, usually both. They’re sometimes known as factory specials, and at Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas there will be several of these race-bred cars crossing the block.

Lot #749 is a matching-number Boss 429 with an S-code NASCAR motor.

Lot #749 is a matching-numbers Boss 429 with an S-code NASCAR motor.

When it comes to factory specials, the Boss 429 Mustang is a perfect example. The Boss 429 was conceived as a way to find a production-car home for Ford’s Boss 429 racing V8, so the engine could be classified as “stock” enough for stock car racing. Although the Torino was the intended recipient for the power plant on stock car ovals, Ford decision-makers judged the Mustang a more marketable home for the engine.

To create a streetable car using a racing engine, Ford engineers took the powerful new big block, detuned it just enough so it would operate on public roads and gave it a 375hp rating. But with its gigantic “semi-HEMI” large-port cylinder heads, the Boss 429 engine was physically too large to fit inside a factory Mustang engine compartment. Ford sent the Boss 429 Mustangs to a special assembly line at Kar Kraft in Brighton, Michigan, where the shock towers were cut back and the battery relocated to the trunk.

With that much extra effort going into production, few were built ‒ only 857 in 1969. The all-original Candy Apple Red 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback (Lot #749) offered at No Reserve in Las Vegas is an amazing example of this rare beast. Heavily documented and with only 21,400 miles on the odometer, this Boss ’9 is a matching-numbers, early-production car with the S-code NASCAR motor and 4-speed transmission.

This 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W30 (Lot #700) will be crossing the block at No Reserve in Las Vegas.

This 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W30 (Lot #700) will be crossing the block at No Reserve in Las Vegas.

The car was sold new in Memphis, Tennessee, in March 1969, and the paperwork that comes with the Boss includes the dealership sales agreement, two owner warranty identification cards, original finance contract and bank payoff letter, first-year insurance policy document, an ownership questionnaire from G&D Communications Corporation to complete with a Boss 429 nameplate as a token of appreciation, and other documentation.

General Motors had more than their share of factory specials in the muscle car era. For Oldsmobile fans, the magic letter that got you the good stuff was “W,” as in option code W30. The W30 option on the 1970 442 gave a jumpstart to your drag-racing ambitions by way of a W25 fiberglass cold-air induction hood, more aggressive camshaft, “select fit” engine parts, performance-tuned carburetor and removal of sound-deadening elements. Red plastic inner fender panels were a W30 hallmark. In 1970 General Motors dropped the limits on engine displacement for its intermediate line and fitted the 442 with the 455ci V8 for the first time. The W30 version was rated at 370 horsepower and 500 ft/lbs of torque.

This 1968 Shelby GT500 convertible (Lot #728) is one of only 231 Acapulco Blue convertibles built that year.

This 1968 Shelby GT500 convertible (Lot #728) is one of only 231 Acapulco Blue convertibles built that year.

The Rally Red 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W30 (Lot #700) offered at No Reserve in Las Vegas represents an ultimate in W evolution. This example has its matching-numbers engine with F-code cylinder heads, W- and Y-code exhaust manifolds, original aluminum intake manifold and carburetor, and matching-numbers M-21 Muncie 4-speed transmission and anti-spin limited-slip rear end. It’s a loaded car, with Hurst shifter, AM push-button radio, dual sport mirrors, Strato bucket seats with console, chrome windowsill moldings, sport steering wheel, W-27 aluminum differential cover, front disc brakes, power steering, functional clock, SS-II wheels and rear-deck spoiler.

Not all race-minded muscle cars originated in Big Four headquarters, however. Shelby American in California was one of the original sources for a factory-special muscle car. Beginning in 1965, they took partially finished Mustangs into their Venice shop and turned out rough-and-ready performance cars at home on road or track. The cars grew in popularity until, in 1968, Shelby Mustang production was shifted to Michigan to better handle increased production.

Crossing the Las Vegas block as Lot #739, this 1969 Shelby GT500 Fastback Sportsroof has a 428 Cobra Jet engine.

Crossing the Las Vegas block as Lot #739, this 1969 Shelby GT500 Fastback Sportsroof has a 428 Cobra Jet engine.

That move allowed for the expansion of the product line, resulting in convertibles for the first time. This 1968 Shelby GT500 convertible (Lot #728) offered at No Reserve in Las Vegas combines all the Shelby virtues in one package. One of 231 Acapulco Blue GT500 convertibles built for 1968, this matching-numbers Shelby has the rare combination of both automatic transmission and air conditioning. It has been meticulously restored, and the original 428 Police Interceptor V8 has been balanced and blueprinted. This GT500 is a car that begs to be driven, and is equipped with 16-inch Shelby 10-spoke wheels and modern BFGoodrich tires to optimize the driving experience (the car also comes with the original steel wheels, hubcaps and Polyglas tires).

supersnakesidebarThe 1968 Shelbys broke new ground, but, if anything, Shelby styling was even more aggressive for 1969, as the 1969 Shelby GT500 Fastback Sportsroof (Lot #739) offered in Las Vegas at No Reserve illustrates. With fiberglass front fenders and a distinct nose treatment, a center-exit exhaust collector, scoops on the quarter panels and five ducts on the hood, the Shelby GT500 offered something no other Mustang could match.

The one that will cross the block at Las Vegas is Wimbledon White with blue stripes and black Deluxe Decor interior. The 428 Cobra Jet engine is backed by a C-6 automatic transmission and conventional rear end with 3.00 gears. It’s well-equipped, with power steering and power front disc brakes, deluxe seatbelts with warning lamp, Sport Deck rear seat, AM/FM radio, tinted glass and center console with Stewart-Warner auxiliary gauges. Listed in the Shelby Registry, this GT500 comes with copies of the original invoice, Shelby American order sheet and 10-day production report, Deluxe Marti Report and restoration album.

Factory specials like these played an outsized role in building the reputation of the American muscle car. Bidders on these cars in Las Vegas will get a firsthand opportunity to discover why.

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