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Everyone has heard of the Boss Mustang, but few people know the story of where the name for this Trans Am race car actually came from.
Way back in 1969, Bunkie Knudsen lost out for the presidency at General Motors, to a guy we once knew, named Ed Cole. Bunkie took off for what he thought were greener pastures, as president of Ford Motor Company, under Henry Ford II. In the transition, he brough along a design engineer, by the name of Larry Shinoda. Larry had his own ideas on what Ford was doing wrong, to compete with the Camaro Z 28. In a couple years, both Bunkie and Larry would be ushered out of Ford, but the excitement of the Boss Mustang would continue on, as a part of automotive history.
Legend has it that someone asked Larry what was being worked on, and the answer given was "the boss's car". This was in actual reference to his superior, Mr. Knudsen. Henry II had put Ferrari to bed at LeMans not too long before they arrived. He was more than ready to take on GM, in his own back yard. Larry was given the task, and the race inspired street machine was born.
Chevrolet was actually late to the table with a car to compete with the Mustang. The Trans Am series looked like a pretty good place to make up some lost ground. With the help of Roger Penske, and a young Brown University engineering graduate/driver named Mark Donohue, they set out to do just that.
The rumors of cheating in the "pony war" series were legendary. Try the book "The Unfair Advantage" for some good reading on the Chevy side. Ford fought back with a couple of hot shoes named Parnelli Jones, and George Folmer. No fancy education needed, thank you very much.
In the end the public won, with a very exciting race series, and some truely amazing street cars. We have found the best of what's out there, for the Ford side of the fence. Incredible stories sold seperately.
Sincerely,
The Crew
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