I've always had a soft spot for Fastback Mustangs. Perhaps it was the first time I saw Steve McQueen racing through the San Francisco streets in Bullitt. It is that fascination that draws me to the raw power and rarity of the 1969 Boss 429 Mustang. While this is not the 1968 Fastback GT that McQueen drove, the BOSS 429 holds a place of it's own in history, with only 859 units produced in 1969, and 500 units produced in 1970 (including the Cougars and Quarter-Horse). The Boss 429 World Registry notes that the cars featured "the stock NASCAR version 429 engine," and that each car was assembled by hand. In fact, the Boss 429 Mustang's very reason for existing, was to homologate the 429 hemi engine so that it could be used on the NASCAR racing circuit.

click to supersize

click to supersize

The Autochannel notes that the power plant is a large 429 hemi V8 that makes 375HP, and it has a 4-speed manual tranny which gives it a top speed of around 119 mph. The factory Mustang had to be heavily modified just to fit the large 429 engine. Although the appearance is described as 'understated' compared to a Mach 1 or Boss 302, I find the car to be endearing.

In case you are interested, a pony like this will set you back between $80-$90,000 today. (and it doesn't even come with an FM radio.)

Photos courtesy of Musclecarcalendar.com.