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July 9, 2010
Parnelli Jones’ 1969 Boss 302 Trans Am Race Car
powerTV Media
It was February, 1968 when Bunkie Knudsen arrived in Dearborn. Henry Ford II had successfully recruited Knudsen from Pontiac, after Ed Cole was appointed President at GM. In September of 1969, Knudsen was shown the door but the impact he’d had at Ford would continue to be felt for years. Read more…
Photos: Russo and Steele
One of those significant things was the 1969 BOSS 302 Mustang. Kar Kraft, near Detroit, built the example shown here for Bud Moore Racing. This Boss 302 made its track debut at Daytona in February 1969 with Parnelli Jones at the wheel. The Shelby American team later used it. This remarkable icon of Mustang history will be auctioned at the Russo and Steele Monterey 10th Anniversary Collector Automobile Auction, August 12-14, at the Monterey Marriott Hotel.
On arriving in Dearborn, Knudsen lured a number of people to come with him to Ford, including Z/28 designer, Larry Shinoda. Ford’s Trans Am season in 1968 was dismal and fielding a successful car in 1969 was a top priority. Knudsen knew that the Z/28 Camaro, created with SCCA Trans-Am road racing in mind, could handle and stop as well as it could accelerate.
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Oafman
Jul 9, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I have had the opporunity to see some of these older cars out on the track and I was amazed at how well they handled. I guess that is the difference between most muscle cars and a pony car. The Pony car can turn.
retroman
Jul 9, 2010 at 9:14 am
I’ll definitely say things changed under Knudsen. He and Lee Iaccoca were very opinionated about the future of the Mustang. Iaccoca wanted the Mustang to remain small and sporty while Knudsen dreamed of a larger roomier Mustang with more options and bigger engines. He won out in the short term, but Lee ultimately got his way with the Mustang II in 1974. The II proved to be the right car at the right time, but after the oil crisis, they never seemed to be able to find a home. I revere both men for their contributions to Ford and elsewhere and I don’t think the Mustang would be the car it is without either one of them. Thanks to Iaccoca for inventing it, and thanks to Knudsen for making it the Boss!!