It's not every day you get the chance to take ownership of a 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429, especially one in Grabber Green - one of only 52 produced in the iconic color for that year. But at the upcoming RM Sotheby's Arizona auction, Lot 114 is that opportunity.
The Boss 429 was a homologation special variant that enabled the "semi-hemi" 429-cubic-inch V8 engine to be used in NASCAR and NHRA drag racing. Regulations required a minimum of 500 road-legal cars be built, but Ford exceeded expectations, selling 1,358 of them in total and 499 of them as 1970 models. Of those 499, only 52 were finished in Grabber Green - which was the inspiration for the Grabber Lime color on the current Mustang Shelby GT500.
This Costa Rica-registered example shows just under 98,000 miles on the odometer and looks to be in mint condition. Perhaps that's why it's expected to fetch anywhere between $275,000 and $350,000 when the hammer falls on January 26.
Chassis no. 0F02Z140991 comes with all its original documentation, including an original dealer invoice, carburetor tag, NASCAR production number decals, owner's manuals, and an Elite Marti report. The latter gives us all the details of the car's production and original delivery. It left the factory on 1 December, 1969 and was delivered to Minar Ford, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Whoever ordered it was clearly a connoisseur, as the spec is great. A black knit vinyl interior offsets the Grabber Green paintwork, but the car also has amenities to make it more livable. Power steering, front disc brakes, a trip odometer and AM radio were all specced. To get the most out of the 7.0-liter V8's claimed 375 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque, the car was also specced with the Drag Pack and competition suspension packages. The Drag Pack added a remote-mounted oil cooler, a higher ratio rear axle, and the Hurst shifter.
Restored by its previous owner by Ryan Horchen of H&H Performance, Inc in Dubois, Pennsylvania, this particular car has been owned by some notorious Mustang lovers, including Jackie Jones and Costa Rican race driver Javier Quiros, which explains its most recent registration.
Its pristine condition and accompanying paperwork will likely drive the price potentially higher than estimated, as these pieces of muscle car history have been known to attract massive bidding wars. In 2017, a restored 1969 Boss 429 sold for $605,000 at a Barrett-Jackson auction, and there have been numerous unrestored cars selling for close to that amount.
The Boss 429, and Grabber Green specifically, has inspired tuners to build modern interpretations, too. We can only hope this example finds its way to a loving home. We much prefer the provenance of an original to the continuation cars Ford built back in 2018.