Within the half-century plus timeframe in which the Ford Mustang has been produced, there have been a lot of hits. The original was akin to Babe Ruth’s “called shot”, one that shut up just about any and everybody who had anything to say about Ford Motor Company. The next few years saw hit after hit, especially where performance was concerned. The Fox-chassis cars earned a legacy strong enough to almost eclipse the Mustang name. The Terminator, the S197, the modern cars, they all hold up their end of the bargain. But there are a few misses within the Mustang lineup. And no, the list does not start with the Mustang II…deride it as you will, it was a sales success, had some intriguing engineering (see: front suspension design that is still the basis for aftermarket units) and kept the fire alive during some dark times. No, let’s look at cars like the toothless 1980-1981 Cobra, the early turbocharged cars, the Mustang II Ghia, the Mustang E, and so on. Cars that either failed do live up to the family tradition, tried another path, or simply sucked out loud.

The 1971-73 Mustang is in a weird limbo when you look at this positive-negative spread. On one hand, it’s gargantuan. It’s the Mustang’s “Fat Elvis” period. No wonder attendees of focus groups were telling Iacocca and other upper-office types to make a smaller car. But it’s not entirely a dead duck. The 1971 enlargement program was needed because Ford wanted to shove any engine they so desired under the hood, and to get away with 428s and 429-powered Mustangs, that needed to happen. The timing just sucked, since the party was over the year that the Clydesdale appeared. Or was it?

Yes, you could still get 429-powered Mustangs. Yes, they kicked ass. But between you and me, this is the one to get: the 1971-only Boss 351. For the most part, they look like a Mach 1 with a slightly more demure graphics package. Anybody who buys that ruse deserves what they get: Ford, like Pontiac, wasn’t going to go out quietly with their top-tier pony car. The 11.7:1 R-code 351 Cleveland small-block packed 330 horsepower and 370 ft-lb of torque and only came with the TopLoader four-speed that sent the twist to a 9-inch with a Traction-Lok and 3.91 gears. That combination meant that, fat ass or not, a Boss 351 was still ready to launch into a street brawl with that right haymaker already going forward. The Boss 351 was only a couple of tenths off of the 429 Mach 1, so if you really wanted to play the game, just pick the “only a small-block” card and wait for the next sucker to step in line for their chance at a free kicking.

The Boss 351 wasn’t just a drag-strip hero, either. The lighter weight up front, combined with the standard Competition Suspension and either 15×7 stamped steel wheels with dog-dish caps or Magnum 500 wheels, meant that the big horse can somehow still run the barrels as well. The rear drums were the larger Torino units, so it could stop as well. In fact, when you go back and review the contemporary reviews of the Boss 351 from when it was new, most of the demerits lay in the styling. Remember, this is when the Mustang’s high sills and glasshouse treatment were seen as tight and compressive. If only those testers could drive a late-model Camaro…

It punches above it’s weight, it looks sharp and dead-nuts on for the Musclecar Era, and you’re just a six-speed swap away from a wicked Interstate cruiser for two…because no sadist would make anybody younger than eight years old sit in the back seat of one of these. I’d call it a win.

Mecum Auctions’ Kissimmee 2022: Lot T25 – 1971 Ford Mustang Boss 351