It's now time to celebrate the "Other" big block. HAPPY 429 DAY!
As cjstaci stated, the Boss 429 was destined for the Torino/Cyclone and Mustang/Cougar platforms. I have some Mercury Cyclone material that shows the Boss 429 as an option. If you look at the unique shape of the shock towers on the '71/ Mustang and Cougar, you will see where it was designed to allow clearance room for the ultra-large heads and valve covers on the Boss. The manufacturing cost of the engine, ever-tightening emission laws, and Ford pulling the funding brought all that to a screeching halt.
It is not widely known, but Ford was developing and testing a 460 Cobra Jet. I came across this information years ago, but unfortunately, I could never find the article again. Ford used a '71 Cyclone as the test car. I was at a new vehicle launch in 1989 when the new Thunderbird Super Coupe and Cougar XR7s were being introduced. I was talking to one of the engineers there, who was also a devout performance car guy. He remembered that project and said they had built several running test cars. However, they lost their funding when Henry Ford ll put a stop to all company-funded racing and sponsorship programs. That also meant an immediate stop to all present high-performance development and future development programs for both production and race cars.
The GM and Mopar guys thought the CJ/SCJ 429s were tough; they had no idea what kind of A$$ whooping was heading their way. Unfortunately, they never got to find out since these two canceled engine projects were pulled out from underneath our feet!
As cjstaci stated, the Boss 429 was destined for the Torino/Cyclone and Mustang/Cougar platforms. I have some Mercury Cyclone material that shows the Boss 429 as an option. If you look at the unique shape of the shock towers on the '71/ Mustang and Cougar, you will see where it was designed to allow clearance room for the ultra-large heads and valve covers on the Boss. The manufacturing cost of the engine, ever-tightening emission laws, and Ford pulling the funding brought all that to a screeching halt.
It is not widely known, but Ford was developing and testing a 460 Cobra Jet. I came across this information years ago, but unfortunately, I could never find the article again. Ford used a '71 Cyclone as the test car. I was at a new vehicle launch in 1989 when the new Thunderbird Super Coupe and Cougar XR7s were being introduced. I was talking to one of the engineers there, who was also a devout performance car guy. He remembered that project and said they had built several running test cars. However, they lost their funding when Henry Ford ll put a stop to all company-funded racing and sponsorship programs. That also meant an immediate stop to all present high-performance development and future development programs for both production and race cars.
The GM and Mopar guys thought the CJ/SCJ 429s were tough; they had no idea what kind of A$$ whooping was heading their way. Unfortunately, they never got to find out since these two canceled engine projects were pulled out from underneath our feet!