Boss 429 sells at US auction for $225K

The well-presented Boss was easily the top seller from the two day event, held over the weekend of July 15 -16 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. Next best seller from the auction, a 1969 Z28 Camaro Resto Mod, fetched less than half the Boss's price.

Backed by a Marti report, the Boss on offer was identified by Kar Kraft build number 1759 (Kar Kraft were Ford'ssubcontractors for small-run and homologation projects) and finished in Royal Maroon paint. Matched up to the big 429ci V8 was a 4-speed close ratio manual trans, power steering, power front disc brakes, competition suspension and3.91 Traction Lokdiff ratio. The lot on offer also includedthe owner's manual.

While not as rare as Boss 429s from 1970, the 1969 429s are still pretty thin on the ground, with only 857 built. By comparison, almost twice as many Boss 302 Mustangs were built in the same year.

The price paid for this example seems about on the money, maybe a little higher,for what these vehicles have been fetching of late. However, with Ford bringing the 'Boss' name back for their 2012 Mustangs, expect original Bosses like this one to go up in value again.

Overall, the Des Moinesauction was a success for Mecum, with total sales of US$5.2million (excluding buyer's premium) more than US$2 milion up on the same auction last year.

Image and information courtesy of Mecum Auctions.