Car Spot: 69 Trans-Am Shelby Mustang Boss 302

A car so cool its owner bought it back.

In 1963, my dad landed a dream job as National Transportation Manager at his, and mine, dream company, American Motors. That was a good year for the company as Motor Trend magazine named AMC’s entire line as car of the year. It was also the time when the seeds were being planted for the company’s move into something it was not known for: high performance with the Javelin. What’s the saying? Win on Sunday and sell on Monday. The perfect venue for the car’s exposure was the Trans American Sedan Championship, which had held its first race on March 25, 1966, at Sebring International Raceway in Florida.

Operating with a fraction of the budget of Ford or Chevy, they prepared race Javelins alongside Ronnie Kaplan, finishing a respectable third in the 1968 season points. My favorite driver was not competing in a Javelin but a Mustang, Parnelli Jones. This was considered the golden age of Trans-AM racing. It wasn’t easy for Ford out of the gate, facing stiff competition from not only the Javelin but also Chevrolet’s Camaro and Plymouth’s Barracuda. Ford had to do something and unleashed the Mustang Boss 302 to contest the championship. Prepared by legendary teams like Bud Moore Engineering and Shelby Racing, the Boss 302 captured the 1970 Manufacturers’ Championship behind the wheel of racing legends Parnelli Jones and George Follmer.

I miss those days and the ones that came after it, which is why this week’s spot, a 69 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Trans Am race car, caught my eye during a track day at Road America. The car is owned by Richard McKenny from Menasha, WI, about a half-hour drive north of the track. The car has an interesting story. Richard’s brother originally owned the car, buying it brand new in 69. “I bought it from him in 73 and converted it into the race car, and then campaigned it in the Midwest. 
I was the Midwest champion in 1974. And then sold it, and then 2 owners and 40 years. It came up for sale, and I got it back,” he told me.

Richard still races it and goes to the track days like the one I found him at Road America. Even though he was getting lapped by new Mustangs, BMWs, Audis, and Corvettes, he still had a blast. How do I know? Because he asked me if I wanted to take a ride during the next track session. Seriously! I thought he was kidding, but he strapped me into the passenger seat, and away we went. Now I’ve driven on Road America a bunch of times, but never as a passenger in a vintage race car like Richard’s.

While the new edition of the Trans-Am series rolls on with newer versions of the Mustang, Camaro, and Corvette, there is a vintage series featuring cars like Richard’s. He’d love to run his Mustang, but to enter a car, it has to have a history running on the tracks like Sebring, Laguna Seca, Lime Rock, Brainerd, and Road America, and his does not. Doesn’t make any difference because he still has a blast driving a car from the past.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest spot. We have plenty of others on our site, so be sure to check them out. Come back next Sunday for another one of my finds, along with some of its history. Have a great week and Happy Father’s Day.