Yesterday, a Ford Mustang II caught my attention and I made reference to its predecessor, the BIG ’71-’73 version of Ford’s famous pony car. Today, it’s time to review a big Mustang, but not just any example from that era, but a rare, 1971 Boss 351. How rare? How about 1,806 according to David LaChance at Hemmings. This vintage of the Boss is seldomly encountered and this will be a great opportunity to check out a very special muscle/pony car. Located in Basile, Louisiana, this Mustang is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $50,000, OBO. Note, the listing states $50 in the heading (I wish!) but further in the details, the actual price is stated.

The Boss series Mustangs were homologation cars, the 302 for the SCCA’s TransAm series, and the 429 monster motor for the NASCAR Grand National (Cup) series. Chevrolet followed the same homologation path with its Z28 Camaro (’67-’69) and ultimately raised the displacement of the Z to 350 CI in ’70. Ford followed suit in ’71, but they were one and done. There was no Boss 351 after ’71 and that single year limitation, coupled with the Boss 351’s scarcity, has lead to its collectibility and elevated market value.  While 1971 was the start of the downward trend in horsepower, primarily the result of The Clean Air Act of 1970, the Blue Oval kept the party going with this Boss and a rarer-still, 429 CI SCJ motor available for the Mach I and its lesser pony siblings. Fun stuff but the party lights were starting to dim.

Right off the bat, this Mustang is claimed to be a 10K mile example. The seller states that he bought it from the original owner and the mileage is documented. While an image of the odometer is not exactly documentation, he does say that he has, “boxes of little things that were changed with original parts down to hose clamps, even yearly inspections from DMV, an appraisal, shop receipts, it’s really unbelievable the stuff I have with this car. There’s a lot more information to share but this ad would go on and on“. The seller claims this as a very original example and the only detraction noted is some surface corrosion around the rear quarter window. He also mentions that there is some rust under the hood at the “back of the ram air” due to a nesting bird(?) but there is no included image. The Marti report, not included, references this Boss as one of 67 finished in Medium Yellow Gold. The finish looks fine, especially considering this car’s age, but of all the colors that could have been chosen…well, it was the ’70s and this Ford is a fine representative of that era.

There is no image of the engine so I included this mock-up from Ford’s Boss 351 pamphlet. The lack of an engine image is troubling as that’s what this R-Code Mustang is all about, its 330 gross HP, 351 CI “Cleveland” HO motor. The seller claims that he last drove this Ford six years ago and he makes no mention as to its running prowess, other than to state the way overused term that, “it’s a bada** car”. One would expect a more thorough operating description, especially on a rarity at this price point. Interestingly, Chevrolet’s Z28 rated its LT-1, 350 CI motor at 330 gross HP in ’71 too, so there was a real head-to-head competition between the two crosstown rivals and their Trans-Am inspired cars. As fate would have it, however, AMC’s Javelin actually won the Trans-Am championship that year. A four-speed manual transmission was the only gearbox available in the Boss.

The interior of this Mustang looks about as you would expect –  all business. It is a simple and basic black vinyl environment with bucket seats and a consolette, as opposed to a full-length console between the seats. It is hard to tell from the image, but the gearshift looks like it has a rust coating on the passenger seat side. Is it a reflection or an actual problem? If it is rust, that would be concerning due to potential moisture exposure. The seller does admit that this car sat for years in a garage under a cover and was then moved to his shop where its solitude has continued.

The seller suggests that this Mustang would make a good winter project. Heck, being what it is would make this car a good, any time of year project. But how much of a project? This car looks complete and appears to be sound but the lack of running details, and the amount of time since it last operated, should be a matter of concern. So, what do you think, considering this car’s rarity and low mileage, priced right?