Yahoo Autos The astonishing history of Jeff O'Neill's 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302
With four Trans-Am pole positions and two wins under its metaphorical belt, Parnelli Jones and George Follmer’s 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 is a machine that transcends words. With weighty controls and a demand to be driven at its limit, taming this machine requires a delicate balance between brute force and elegance.
Related: I experienced my first track day at Velocity Invitational—I am a changed man
Jeff O’Neill is a man of many passions
Jeff O’Neill, founder of Velocity Invitational, vintner, and die-hard historic racing aficionado possesses all those strengths. He doesn’t “own” the Mustang, no. That is not the right term for a car of this caliber. He is merely its current caretaker; a page in its history book.
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It all began with a young Jeff at the Trans-Am Races in the late 1960s to the early 1970s. During that era, the rivalry between the Mustang, Camaro, and Javelin was intense, and any manufacturer with the resources for racing was eager to break into the competition. It didn’t take long before he too fell in love with the cars, especially the Fords. According to him, it was a “natural attraction.”
The journey for the Ford Mustang Boss 302 began with Velocity Invitational
After founding Velocity Invitational, Jeff became close friends with many fellow historic racing enthusiasts, including some devoted to the Trans-Am series.
“Luckily for me, they knew where every single famous Trans-Am car was,” Jeff said.
As luck would have it, one of them had more cars than space, the opposite of Jeff’s situation. A short exchange of funds later, he was the proud new caretaker of the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 once piloted by Parnelli Jones and George Follmer. As a self-described enthusiast of history and provenance and a loyal Ford fan, it was the ideal purchase.
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This Mustang was built to dominate
The Mustang was one of two cars built by Kar Kraft for Ford’s racing division. The team was managed by Bud Moore, a WWII and racing veteran who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011. As the 302 in its name suggests, it uses a 302 Windsor block but with a 351 Cleveland cylinder head on top. Two 1050cfm Holley Dominator 4-Barrel Carburetors on a ‘Cross-Boss’ manifold fed the beast enough gas for a screaming 8000 rpm redline. Ford reported this configuration put out 470 hp.
The Boss 302 Mustang saw its first share of Trans-Am action in February 1969 at the Daytona Citrus 240 with Parnelli Jones at the wheel. George Follmer later took over for the first part of the 1969 SCCA Trans-Am season. After a wreck during that same season, the car was kept at Bud Moore Engineering and never saw the track again. It was bought in 1982 from its resting place and was meticulously restored to its earliest 1969 configuration.
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After decades of hibernation, this racing legend is back on the pavement as it should be
So far, Jeff has taken this legendary Mustang to Sebring, Laguna Seca, and Sonoma. Lucky for me, he brought it to Velocity Invitational too where I was able to join him for a few track laps.
“I plan to go back to Sebring and even Daytona eventually. I always say though, I'll go everywhere where there's a fun race.”
His goal is to use his cars the way they were meant to, something that should be at the top of the list for any enthusiast or collector. Sure, that can expose it to risks like dents, scratches, or even a full-on crash, but what’s the point of keeping such a purpose-built machine leashed up in a garage?
Let those cylinders scream! Heat up that rubber! There is excitement in risk and that’s what racing is all about. For the sake of this 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and historic racing as a whole, Jeff O’Neill gets it.
