in production. But [the] Mach 1 was accessible, readily available, perfectly styled for 1969, and genuinely competitive on the street, thanks to the 428 CJ.”
Base Mach 1 power came from a 351-ci small-block topped by a 2-barrel carburetor. All other optional engines were 4-barrels (4V V-8s).
Another available big-block, the 390-ci FE V-8, injected 320 horses into the Mach 1 mix. And, like its Cobra Jet big brother, the 390 could be crowned with the optional Shaker scoop, which mounted atop the air cleaner and protruded straight up through a Mustang hood. (Photo Courtesy Mecum Auctions)
“The Mach 1 finally added an image model to the Mustang, similar to what Plymouth was doing with the Road Runner and Chevy with the Camaro Super Sport,” added Donald Farr, editor of the Mustang Club of America’s (MCA) official magazine, Mustang Times. “The restyled 1969 SportsRoof had a more muscular look in the first place; the Mach 1 then took it into muscle car territory with its black-out hood and chrome wheels. Most potential buyers could afford the base model, which looked just like the well-optioned version with the 428 Cobra Jet.”
Basic Mach 1 power came from a 351-ci small-block V-8 topped by a 2-barrel carburetor, making it, in Ford’s terms, a “351-2V.” That hyphenated suffix referred to the venturii (or carb throat) count. The idea, of course, was to keep a wide focus, to not paint the Mach into a corner. Although CJ renditions thrilled drivers with a real need for speed, base models did the same for those who didn’t mind simply looking as if they were soaring to great heights while negotiating everyday traffic with no fuss or muss. Unlike its temperamental Boss cousins, a driver-friendly 351-powered Mach 1 could stand by patiently in the pickup line at JFK Elementary without blowing its top, and still appear awfully damn hot.
So much sporty feel plus proven pony car practicality equaled sky-blazing sales success. While Dearborn’s last GT was quietly rolling into the sunset, 1969’s Mach 1 was reinventing Mustang popularity, with production surpassing 72,400. Just so you know, that first-year figure fell about 15,000 short of the GT’s total 1965–1969 tally.
GT: GETTING MUSTANG ROLLING
It was the car’s first birthday, but it was buyers who received the presents. On April 17, 1965, Ford announced two new Mustang options: the snazzy Interior Decor Group, with its galloping-horse seat inserts and simulated walnut paneling, and the GT Equipment Group, a sporty addition that helped put the spurs to Dearborn’s little horse.
The original GT package was only available with one of two optional 289-4V V-8s: the 225-hp Challenger or 271-hp High Performance. It included the existing Special Handling suspension, unassisted front disc brakes, dual exhausts, fog lamps, and a flashy five-dial instrument panel in place of the standard Falcon-style dash.
When five-dial instrumentation became the norm for all Mustangs in 1966, it helped reduce the price for the second-edition GT package. Adding a set of F70-14 Wide Oval tires into the mix pushed the price back up in 1967. Heavy-duty underpinnings carried over, along with front discs (now power-assisted) and those familiar fog lamps. New out back was a pop-open gas cap, adorned with appropriate “GT” lettering. Revised naming also appeared this year, as manual transmission cars wore familiar “GT” identification and automatic-equipped models were given “GTA” fender badges.
The Mustang’s original $165 GT package could be added to all three 1965 models: coupe, convertible, and fastback. Unassisted front disc brakes and dual exhausts with chrome tips were included also.
GT Mustangs represented the flagships of the fleet into 1968 and were offered one final time in 1969. GT fender badges did not appear on the last of the line.
Revised GT identification appeared in 1967, as automatic-transmission models were adorned with “GTA” fender badges. Gas caps, in either stick or auto mode, still read “GT.”
Engine choices doubled in 1967 after the 320-hp 390-ci FE-series big-block was allowed entry between the fenders of Ford’s newly enlarged Mustang. A 200-hp 289-2V joined the list, too, meaning a single exhaust appeared beneath a GT for the first time.
GTA differentiation didn’t return for 1968, nor did standard front discs, which at least were mandatory options when an FE big-block was installed. The remaining standard stuff included a new base engine (a 302-4V small-block) and revised styled-steel wheels. The 14x6 argent-colored rims wore bright trim rings and small center caps sporting red-painted “GT” identification. Trading argent paint for chrome plating was optional.
Ford’s hottest GT yet debuted in April 1968, fitted with the aforementioned 428 Cobra Jet big-block plus a whole host of hot parts (see Chapter 2). Although all regular-production CJ Mustangs were GTs in 1968, the 335-hp option became available for non-GTs as well the following year.
The GT and Mach 1 shared engine lineups in 1969, and the latter also borrowed the former’s new non-functional hood scoop and racing-style hood pins. GT fender badges went missing this year, and those two letters weren’t mated with another Mustang until 1982.
HEADING UP 1969’S HERD
Both Boss Mustangs, 302 and 429, were originally developed by Ford’s performance contractor, Kar-Kraft, in Brighton, Michigan. Kar-Kraft then handled final “Boss-9” production duties, rolling out its first in January 1969, nearly three months ahead of the initial small-block Boss.
Able to operate at a slower, steadier pace than the home factory, Kar-Kraft was better suited to perform various time-consuming modifications to Mach 1 SportsRoofs delivered right off the Dearborn assembly line. Making the transformation from Mach to Boss involved, among other things, widening the engine compartment by 2 inches, relocating the battery to the trunk, and adding reinforced shock towers. On the outside went a large functional hood scoop and fenders clearanced especially to supply operating room for standard F60 Wide Oval rubbers mounted on chromed 15x7 Magnum 500 wheels. Beneath that scoop was the star of the show, the 375-hp “Shotgun motor,” with its aluminum cylinder heads and competition-style oil cooler.
Although the nimble Boss 302 was born to do battle with Chevrolet’s Z/28 Camaro on the Trans-Am road racing circuit, the brutal Boss 429 was created to satisfy NASCAR rules, which stated that any model or engine could compete on its stock car tracks as long as at least 500 regular-production examples were sold to the public. But nowhere was it specified that the pair be built together. Once legalized between Mustang flanks, the Boss 429 V-8 went to work on the NASCAR circuit behind the extended snouts of Fairlane-based Talladegas.
