This 1971 Mustang Mach 1 demonstrates what was possible if a buyer ordered their car as a “money is no object” vehicle. This approach is easy to understand when you realize that Ford of Canada ordered it as a promotional vehicle. It is a genuine 429 Super Cobra Jet/Drag Pack vehicle that has been restored to its former glory. The time has come for it to go to a new home, so the owner has listed it for sale here on eBay. The Mach 1 is located in Huntingburg, Indiana, and the BIN has been set at $114,900. There is also the option available to make an offer.
While finding a car like this Grabber Green Metallic Mach 1 might not be a once in a lifetime experience, it certainly rates as a rare treat. The owner holds all of the documentation that verifies this classic’s history and confirms that the Mustang was ordered by Ford of Canada as a display and show car. It would have fulfilled this role well, and there’s little doubt that it would have “Grabbered” plenty of attention wherever it went. The vehicle has undergone a recent restoration, and the exterior presents in as-new condition. The paint shines beautifully, while the panels are laser straight. All of the gaps are tight and consistent, and there are no issues with any of the stripes or decals. The trim and chrome are spotless, and the glass is perfect. The rear spoiler is original, as are the immaculate Magnum 500 wheels.
Rust is not a consideration with this Mustang. The panels are free from any of the tell-tale signs, but it is the car’s underside that steals the show. I doubt that you will ever find a Mach 1 of this era that looks this clean. There isn’t even a hint of surface corrosion to be seen anywhere. It looks so good that it almost seems a shame that the only way that anyone is likely to see it is when the vehicle is placed on a lift. This wasn’t a cheap car when it was new, and the original Sales Invoices and Window Stickers confirm this fact. The base price for a Mach 1 in 1971 was $3,790. By the time this one rolled off the production line, the cost had ballooned out to $6,194. The documentation included with the Mustang confirms this and traces the entire history of this classic. There are letters, receipts, the previously mentioned original Window Stickers, and Invoices, along with a Marti Report.
There isn’t a lot on the outside of this Mustang to indicate just how special it is. The “429 Ram Air” badges would be easy to miss by the casual observer, but there’s no mistaking the fact that this is an exceptional vehicle when you pop the hood. This is a genuine 429 Super Cobra Jet/Drag Pack car, and it is a full numbers-matching vehicle. For those of us with a passion for anything that wears the blue oval badge, it is enough to make us salivate. That monster engine is backed by a 3-speed C6 automatic transmission, while the power feeds through that to a 4.11 Detroit Locker rear end. That rear end is a story in itself because the Marti Report confirms that this was the first 429 SCJ built to feature a Detroit Locker. Power steering and power front disc brakes are also part of the package. The 429 Super Cobra Jet is an interesting case of “smoke and mirrors” by Ford. The official power output was quoted as 375hp, but it appears that the company was following an industry trend of under-quoting the truth. There was always a belief that the actual figure was somewhere closer to 425hp, and I have seen one contemporary report which showed a figure of 416hp on a dyno test. Does that make this a fast car? You’d better believe it! The Mach 1 should be capable of blitzing the ¼ mile in around 13.8 seconds in its current form. When you consider that a base Mach 1 covers the same journey in around 16.8 seconds, you can see what you are getting for your money with this one. The trade-off is top-end speed. The 4.11 rear end means that this car would run out of breath somewhere around 114mph, but it would get there awfully fast. The engine bay’s presentation is as immaculate as the rest of the car, and it doesn’t deceive. The owner says that the Mach 1 runs and drives perfectly, with everything working as it did the day that it rolled off the production line.
The Mustang’s interior is spotlessly clean, and if I have read the listing correctly, it is original and unrestored. If this is true, then it stands as an endorsement of how well this car has been treated throughout its life. There isn’t much to be critical of, with the trim and upholstery in excellent order. The carpet shows minimal wear, while there are no issues with the dash, pad, console, or headliner. The interior features a Sport Deck rear seat, deluxe belts, power windows, and an AM radio/8-track player. There are no aftermarket additions and no signs of any modifications.
The opportunity to own a 1971 Mach 1 428 SCJ/Drag Pack does not come along every day. The Marti Report indicates that Ford built 531 examples in that model year, which makes them relatively rare. The documented history of this one takes that rarity up a notch or two. I will admit that this isn’t a cheap car by any stretch of the imagination. However, values on these have spiked dramatically in recent times, with a 20% increase, regardless of condition, across the last 2-years alone. That and this car’s documented history probably justify the asking price, and I believe that this classic will likely find itself heading to a new home in the near future.
A stunning car that was the top of the heap for Ford back in ’71. Probably worth every penny but only a 1 percenter can afford it which leaves me out. By a lot. It’s a gorgeous car with legendary performance, a car most of us can only dream of owning.
Wow, less than half the price of the 1970 Nissan Laurel for $249,000. Guess which one I would choose.
Take both cars to a car show. All of them would pass this Mustang up to check out the Nissan wondering why the owner paid $249k and looking it over carefully to see if they missed anything that would make it that pricey. Checkmate Mustang.
Why would you compare a Mach1 with that ugly can of shorts? Why is the Datsun priced so high? Are there just 17 left in the world? Sure it is related to the Skyline. So, is it the Nova SS 396 of the Datsun world? Please explain?
I’m surprised Ford “rated” this @ 375HP. `71 was the first year of emission equipment, and insurance co’s. were doubling down on rates for such cars. Even so, this looks like a superb restoration, and it would be a real crown to have in any collection! `71 was the first year the Mustang was available with power windows, which lasted until `73. A beautiful SCJ that nobody else would have at most any car show. I can understand the price.
Grabber Green and Grabber Orange must have been inspired by Gumby and Pokey.
Is it wrong for me to salivate when I saw the picture of the stainless exhaust? I must be a car guy…beautiful car, and priced at the level of some Shelby’s…and may well worth it…
Gorgeous underneath that paint. I’d have to take $20k off for that color.
I would trade them my 63 SWC for this car. Grabber green is a great color.
Guess I need to go buy lotto tickets. I’m a mopar man but I’d put this Stang in my stable in a heartbeat.
I would love to take it down the 1/4 mile track , just once. This thing has to be one bad a&% muscle car! Love it!
Nice rig and far nicer than the 135k gt from a couple days ago.
Hot tub time machine would be nice right now as this car was a 1500 all day long in 1984. And thats not a jab at the potential value, i just dont get it.
mach 1 with boss 351 is a rarer car worth more.
….and faster.
I always wondered about these. The 351 Cleveland BOSS Mustang in 1971, I thought, was the fastest stock Mustang other than the SEMI-HEMI 1969 and 1970. Maybe the ’71 BOSS was just the fastest BOSS Mustang??
It was faster than the Super Cobra Jet.
I may be impartial because I own a Boss, and I admit I have never driven a 429 SCJ mach 1, but…I can tell you the Boss goes like hell! Actual power for the Boss was probably more like 383 hp and 391 lb/ft of torque based on dyno tests. Pretty impressive for a high revving small block. I guess the high revs plus the high torque minus the weight of the big block made it quicker than the 429. Great article here showing the Boss beats all other small blocks. http://www.mustangandfords.com/how-to/engine/1510-dyno-shootout-boss-302-vs-351
I wonder what the record price for one of these is. I haven’t seen too many 100K ’71 Mustangs.
I’m sure that someone has paid more than that on a Saturday night at B.J.
Beautiful Car…..I have always liked the style of the 1971-73 Mustang Mach 1 and the plain fastbacks of those years.
Incredible find, although this particular car is “known”. Steep compression solid lifter cam 429 Super Cobra Jet was a few years too late, imagine that monster being around in the late sixties.
6 grand would have been Very expensive for a new car in general back then, it’s not really funny but within a few years this beast was looking more obsolete by the minute what with unleaded low octane fuel and all that. I’m glad this one survived.
A car as rare And highly desirable as this…..name your price. Or try and find another one in this shape.
I believe the horse-power rating to be 425plus+ the heavy ‘70 429Cobra Torino is a torque monster of a car,though a drag-pack should be a 4-speed but must have been ordered with automatic,this Mustang looks good and reminds me of younger days in my brothers 429 “shaker” Cobra-Jet Torino! Fast.
Amazing Mustang! Won’t deny I am drooling right now, but then the reality of today’s collector car market prices hits you and brings you down to earth. Even a 351 Cleveland from those years is starting to really climb upwards…
What do you mean even a 351 Cleveland is climbing in value? You need to read up on what the 351 Cleveland was meant to replace. I will tell you. The 351 Cleveland was designed to replace the 427 side oiler in NASCAR and other road race venues. Ford designed it to live at 7,000 rpm all day and produce 500 bhp. This was accomplished with an Endurance camshaft with .600 lift. The Cleveland is a monster on the track. It produced 500 bhp like the 7 liter it was designed to replace and it did not have the breakdown problems of the 427. The Cleveland has been running in NASCAR from 1970 to about 2003 when Ford started switching to the modular motors. It was a victim of the smog laws that started coming out in 1971 onward. It’s true potential on the streets was never realized. It was in Australia to some extent. Look up what Jon Kaase has done with the 400 Cleveland in the Engine Masters competition. Hell look up the article The Mutt in Hot Rod magazine. It produce 500 hp. The 429 in this Mustang is really just a big Cleveland. So, some respect please.
This car did not do the quarter mile in 13.8 because it is a automatic, not the faster 4 speed model. Traction was a issue also with all the torque. The real numbers for this car is 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds and ran the quarter-mile in 14.7 seconds. The Boss 351 from the same year was actually faster.
Always look for staggered shocks on Ford cars like these. If the shocks aren’t staggered the car is probably bullsnot. This a dead give away for some lying sack of shoot, trying to pull a fast one.
Not really, Joe. There’s an old test of a ’71 Torino Cobra… or just Cobra, ran by Cars magazine back then. Drag pack, automatic. The 429 SCJ Torino ran the quarter in the 13.7’sat 105mph, best pass of course and left in Drive!? Stock as wall street, no “odd ” parts installed, really surprised Joe Oleman who wrote the Torque East column for that magazine. Only one of those ’71’s he ever saw with the super Cobra jet engine as well, which surprises me on this Mustang. I actually thought less were built with SCJ power.
Regular 370 horse 429 Cobra Jet Torinos were mid 14 second cars along with 370 horse Mustangs. This engine made tremendous torque as well as horsepower, the automatic was a good fit for drag racing. Admittedly, a four speed would be more fun.
There is no data showing a Automatic would run in a 1971 Mustang at 13.8 with a 429. Here are MT numbers, Touted by Dearborn as “the best all-around performer in Ford production-car history,” the new Boss was the fastest of the ’71 breed — and the most roadable right out of the box. Chuck Koch, who tested a trio of Mustangs for a January 1971 Motor Trend review, clocked the Boss at 5.8 seconds 0-60 mph, with a standing quarter-mile of 13.8 seconds at 104 mph. By contrast, a 429 Mach 1 took 6.5 seconds and did the quarter in 14.5 at 96.8 mph, though it might have been hampered a bit by its Cruise-O-Matic.
True, trying to find an actual road test for the 429 scj Mustang is hapless, the Motor Trend article referred to was not a drag pack equipped Mach 1 at all…3.25 gears automatic 370 horse CJ429. The Boss 351 had the low 3.91 gears, only came that way and the 4speed was also the single transmission option. I am a fan of both ’71 Mustangs so there is no arguement really….my only gripe is no one bothered to put the Boss 351 up against a low geared solid lifter 429 Mach 1. Now that would be interesting, if not more of a fair test. I win either way, ha ha.
Boss 351 was the top option for 71.
It was also the fastest Mustang for 71.
That’s why they gave it the R Code.
The Boss 351 Cleveland was the best small block of the 60s and 70s. It will out Dyno everything else. Including every SB Chevy. Including the LT-1 and fulies.
This green 71 is awesome. But the Boss is just that…
Boss 351 was definitely the top dog for 71.
Fastest Mustang. And faster than most big blocks if the day. That’s why Ford gave it the R Code which was always reserved for the top performer.
Relatively rare at 531 made ? Try super rare ! I could and should have bought one like this in Tulsa in 1983. 71 SCJ 429 with drag pack, 390 gears and 4-speed. Plus it was a one owner with 70,000 miles and all original. The owner would not let me test drive it even with him in it. He said it would flat get away from you in a hurry ! $ 2800..I still have sleepless nights thinking about it !
Could be worse Don. You could have bought it and wrecked or sold it? That’s a worse story!!! If I had a nickel for every person that has told me they sold a Shelby for cheap…
Troy you forgot this is a Automatic, no matter what gears it has it couldn’t do 13.8.
Nice big o’girl……
My father bought a new’72 Mach 1 in yellow with the brown interior in ’71. Only the std 351C and automatic but he loved that car! He drove it for 200K + miles and 30 yrs without any engine work! He finally sold it in 2002 for 3x what he paid for it! It was a fun car to drive!!
I still have to believe the 429 scj would spank a boss 351 given the right conditions. The 429 is making around 425 hp and maybe a 100 to 150 lbs. more weight but slap a set of slicks on each car and I’m betting the scj wins. I surmise that traction or lack thereof for the big block Mach 1 was the reason the Boss was quicker in the 1/4 mile. The Boss was just a better balanced around car.
The 429 would have to be quicker, right? Everything says otherwise. How are there no mach 1 quarter mile times for a 429 4 speed car? How is that even possible. The Boss is really well balanced and handles surprisingly well. Only drawback for both is that you can’t see anything. It’s a lot of point and shoot!!!
My ex-boss had a 1969 or 1970 equipped like this (but with a 4 speed) It also had the drag pack with 4.10 gears. I was lucky enough to get to drive it on occasion for an “attitude adjustment time”. And it did just that! Unbelievable torque, AND quick revs. All enjoyed by blasting “up the mountain and around the corners” I’m a road racer at heart and I thought it would push badly on the corners. It did push, but not as badly as I had feared. But with a little throttle added, the corners just tightened quite nicely. I have had the great luck to have driven many fast cars before and since. (including GM, BMW, Audi and Porsche “test” cars) Some accelerated faster and others naturally handled better. But there are just some cars that always “surprise” you and stick in your mind for what they were versus when they were built. This is one of those cars.
Had a 71 Mach 1 351C 4V Automatic back in 72-73. But my first view of the 71 was in early 70 when an engineer from Ford dropped by our family’s auto parts store in Detroit, we were a Motorcraft warehouser. He was driving a manufaturer’s plated Silver convertible, with the blacked-out 429 ram air hood and the side stripes. That was a stunner, never saw one like it again. One off???