All it took was three cubic inches. To compete with Chrysler's 426 Hemi V-8 in NASCAR's Grand National Division, Ford's motorsports gurus knew that they needed a powerful engine. They already had the right car-the Mustang, which begged for additional underhood muscle. Ford's new big block V-8 displaced 429 cu. in. and was both beefed up and lightened for competition use.

The Boss 429 was born, and the 1,358 built during just two years of production featured a special front end with a widened engine bay created by Ford's experimental and low-volume car partner, Kar Kraft. These homologation specials didn't scream performance with their relatively subtle badging, but they were blisteringly fast. As was customary in the 1960s, their 375-hp rating was highly conservative. Those in the know looked for the Kar Kraft "KK" number and the NASCAR identification label.

Both of those are present and accounted for on the well-documented 1969 Boss 429 offered here. This example was sold new in the Arizona desert in Kearny, a mining town that offered its original owner plenty of room to roam. Its Marti report confirms that it left Kar Kraft painted Candy Apple Red over a black vinyl interior with the requisite Boss 429 performance gear and few luxuries aside from an AM radio. It was built 13 February 1969 and sold just a month later.

Today, the Boss 429 appears in excellent condition with shiny, uniform paint and the correct Magnum 500 wheels wrapped in period-style Goodyear tires. Inside, it is unmodified and wears correct black vinyl. The four-speed manual transmission, included with the optional Deluxe Interior group, stands ready to row through the gears. Underhood, the Boss 429's engine bay looks as though the car just left the Kar Kraft facility.