Identification No.
BOS
| Amelia Island, Florida
Addendum
Please note that this lot is offered on a Bill of Sale.
Est. 500 bhp, 302 cu. in. OHV V-8 engine with two sandcast Holley Dominator four-barrel carburetors, race-prepared Toploader four-speed close-ratio manual transmission, Ford 9-inch 31-spline Detroit Locker rear end, Trans Am-specification front and rear suspension with Watts linkage, front and rear sway bars, and Koni double adjustable shock absorbers, and four-wheel oversized Lincoln disc brakes. Wheelbase: 108 in.
Tasca Ford was known for its heavy involvement and innovation with Ford Performance during the 1960s with an emphasis on street and strip racing. However, not many people are aware that Tasca was also involved in the very popular Trans Am road race series that had taken the country by storm in the late-1960s. With the piloting skills of Dean Gregson, their Performance Sales Manager, Tasca, stuck their toe in the water during the 1968 season with a Mustang prepared by fabricator Hank Fournier.
With the introduction of the Boss 302 for the 1969 season, Tasca had so much pull with Ford that they quite literally stopped the presses at the Metuchen Plant in New Jersey while they turned out a red ’69 Boss 302 built to their specifications. Interestingly, it was delivered with no serial numbers, only a door tag that simply noted “Special Unit,” with “No Sealer” and “No Deadner” [sic]. Dubbing the car “Metuchen Special,” Dean’s first outing in the Mustang was at Michigan International Raceway in May 1969. From here he put together a string of nine Trans Am races spanning into 1972. After that time, the driving duties we taken over by Hank Fournier to compete in regional events until the car’s professional retirement sometime in the 1970s.
Virtually untouched since that time, it changed ownership one or two times until it landed in the hands of Mustang enthusiast Chris Messler from New York. Honoring the heritage of the Tasca Boss, Messler left the car in its final 1970-period configuration while enjoying it occasionally at track and show events for over two decades. It was not until December 2014 that it was acquired by a well-known competition Mustang restorer and subsequently sold to the current owner, an Australian motorsport enthusiast. Having been out of the limelight for some time, the Boss 302 has just recently returned to the historic Trans Am scene, including recent outings at Sebring and the Monterey Historics in 2016.
Today, the “Metuchen Special” still sports all of its original sheet metal and has proudly been returned back to its 1969 Dean Gregson livery for Trans Am enthusiasts, historians, and spectators alike to enjoy. It presents a rare opportunity to acquire such an original Trans Am Boss 302, with known ownership history, that is ready to participate in the historic Trans Am series that remains so popular throughout the nation.
