1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Kar-Kraft Trans Am

460 hp, 302 cu. in. OHV V-8 engine with a Holley four-barrel carburetor, four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension with upper A-arms, lower transverse arms with drag struts, coil springs, tube shocks, and an anti-roll bar, rear live axle suspension with multi-leaf springs, upper trailing arms, Watts link, and an anti-roll bar, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 108 in.

TRANS AM’S GREATEST YEAR

“The 1970 season was the year that all of the stars would finally fall on the Trans Am series. With a serious racing effort from all four major automotive manufacturers—Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, and American Motors—and their backing of top-notch teams running Mustangs, Camaros, Javelins, Dodge Challengers, Plymouth Barracudas, and Pontiac Firebirds, the entry list was a spectator’s dream. With the factory teams fighting to contract the best available driving talent—including Parnelli Jones, George Follmer, Mark Donohue, Peter Revson, Sam Posey, Jim Hall, Ed Leslie, Vic Elford, Dan Gurney, Swede Savage, and Jerry Titus—it was truly a year in which at least 11 to 15 different drivers could potentially win any race on the 12-race schedule.” - Dave Friedman, Trans-Am: The Pony Car Wars, 1966–1972

Bud Moore Engineering became involved in the Trans Am series in 1967, with Lincoln-Mercury and the newly introduced Cougar model. Thanks to Moore’s long-time experience as a NASCAR crew chief and team owner, it was a natural connection. The two-car Cougar team under Moore’s leadership came within two points of winning the manufacturer’s championship. Unfortunately, the Mercury program lasted only one year, as Ford realized that its two teams (Mustang and Mercury) were equally competitive and running both was not cost effective. This success, however, led to the Ford Motor Company’s support, with Kar Kraft supplying Mustang Boss 302s for the 1969–1971 seasons.

With the intention of supporting a winning effort for 1969, Bud Moore was brought back to form a team that was based on the Boss 302, and he pulled out all stops by hiring Parnelli Jones and George Follmer as drivers. The 1969 season would become the hardest fought in the series’ first four years. The Bud Moore Mustangs, driven by Jones and Follmer, and the Penske Sunoco Camaros, driven by Mark Donohue, Ronnie Bucknum, and Ed Leslie, brought out record crowds, causing the series to be vaulted to instant stardom and resulting in some of the most anticipated races on the North American calendar. But alas, by the end of the season, Chevrolet won its second manufacturer’s championship in a row.

However, things changed in 1970. Penske (and his drivers) switched to AMC Javelins, and the remaining factory-supported Chevrolet teams were managed by Jim Hall. Fords, which were arguably the fastest cars in Trans Am, were further dialed in for 1970, with further development being made to the initial Boss 302 Mustang configuration. Bud Moore’s Ford Mustang team fought hard and emerged as the victors of the Trans Am Manufacturer’s Championship in 1970.
Bud Moore Engineering had been first provided with four serialized Mustangs by Kar Kraft in 1969, along with three more for 1970. At the end of 1970, in preparation for 1971 competition, Kar Kraft provided four additional “bodies in white,” identified as chassis numbers 11971–41971. As the 1971 season approached, the Ford Motor Company discontinued support for the Trans Am program. Bud Moore Engineering ran a shortened schedule, using two of the four “bodies in white” that were previously provided.