For fans of muscle cars, and Ford Mustangs in particular, few cars get the heart racing and the blood pumping like the 1969-1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302. From its built-to-race, high-revving 302 cubic inch small block, to its muscular styling and aesthetic add-ons, many consider the Boss the ultimate all-around Ford factory package created for their world-renowned pony car. If you wanted a ride that could handle a road course as well as put the power to the pavement on a quarter-mile run, well it was hard to beat this Trans Am-bred Mustang.

Like many of these specialty-packed factory racers, Boss Mustang values have skyrocketed over the past few years. Gearheads and collectors alike are sparing no expense grabbing up original Boss Mustangs for their very own. So, when a true Boss hits the open market, there’s usually a buyer or twelve waiting in the wings for their opportunity.

Still wearing its original paint, this Boss is a true survivor in every aspect of the word.

I Spy...

Randy Bianchi has been around the hot rod and muscle car scene from the moment he entered this world. His dad, Randy Sr., is a well-known hot-rodder and fabricator, who designed and built one of the most famous T-buckets in the world, the "Sunkist T." Young Randy has been at his side through the years, learning the hot rodding lifestyle from his dad and wrenching on rides in the family shop. Now, Randy is out on his own, building his own unique rides and searching out awe-inspiring hot rods and muscle rides to call his own.

Living just outside New York City his entire life, Randy has found that there are some great treasures lurking in garages and properties in his heavily populated neck of the woods. And as luck would have it, one day Randy got a glimpse of a ride that one day he would score for his own.

“I was returning home one day in my hometown and spotted a green Mustang fastback sunning itself out in a driveway not far from my house. I could tell it was a '69 or '70 model, but I couldn’t make out exactly what it was from a distance. I made a mental note of it and where it was located and continued on my way,” he said.

The Must-Have Mustang

A few years later, that mental picture would come back into play. “I was on a popular internet marketplace and saw an ad for a ’70 Boss Mustang for sale in my town. I recognized the car and the stone garage it was stored in, and I soon realized this was the same car I spotted a few years earlier. I immediately called the number and to set up an appointment to see the car”.

Who Randy got on the other end of the line was the realtor in charge of selling the owner’s estate. “We set up a time for me to see the Mustang. When I got to the house there was another guy looking at it. For some reason he ended up passing on it. I started to talking to the original owner who gave me some insight on the car and told me his tale.”

This Boss was hiding away from sight for almost 40 years in this stone garage, situated in a busy suburb just outside New York City. Scenes like this get muscle car guy's hearts pumping and give gearheads hope that there are still treasures to be found in garages and barns across America.

Turns out the owner was a retired mechanic who worked at nearby Westwood Ford in Westwood, New Jersey. In 1970, he had the opportunity to buy a new ride and was thinking about jumping brands. He first set his sights on buying a Z28, but then did a complete one-eighty opting to show some brand loyalty. What he purchased was this 1970 Boss 302 Mustang, decked out in Lime Metallic paint.

The car came with all of the Boss package options like the four speed, power front discs, sport suspension, quick ratio steering and front spoiler. The owner also decided on decking his car out with slatted louvers out back and Magnum 500 wheels at the corners, the latter shod in raised white letter tires. Overall, it had everything you’d want in your muscle Ford.

Though it saw everyday use for 15 years, the Ivy vinyl interior on this Mustang is in stellar condition. The seats are clean and show little wear, and its life indoors has helped keep the rug from fading and the dash pad from developing any major cracks.

Randy checked out the car thoroughly and was amazed at the condition of this long dormant Mustang. The car was taken off the road sometime in the mid 1980s for an engine overhaul at 76k miles. Unfortunately, the owner never got back to it and so it sat for the next 35-odd years. The engine was on a stand right next to the Boss…untouched since being pulled.

A deal was quickly made on the spot for the Mustang. Before he left, Randy went through the garage to find any parts he might have missed. “I found a few things, including the original oil dipstick! The car was almost completely original, minus the installed headers. I believe the tires to be the originals as well! Pretty wild”. The car also sported a CB radio and a Ford issued tach that the owner bought at his dealership. Once back at his house Randy re-installed the hood and did a general cleanup. The interior is in amazing shape, without even so much as a rip in the seats.

This Boss 302 is the original motor and was pulled for some basic maintenance back in the 1980s. The only deviation from stock are the aftermarket headers in place of the original manifolds. The high-revving small block has now been gone through. It runs well and has plenty of power still on tap.

Buy, Boss

After some playtime, Randy realized that this car needed to go to a guy who would appreciate this survivor Blue Oval. “I called up my friend Jim Bobowski and sent him some pics and background on the Mustang. He was more than happy to take it off my hands and finish putting her back together. The engine was then gone through and reinstalled in the Boss in no time. It now shares good company in his collection of top Fords and other custom hot rods”.

Today Jim enjoys taking the survivor out on local jaunts around the Jersey Shore area. Future plans are to possibly correct some of the Mustang’s body flaws without repainting. “I’ve talked to some body shops about the issues. It would be challenging given the sheet metal thickness. So, for now I’m going to drive it the way it is. It runs great and with a little suspension work I’ll get it back to being the badass Ford that it was built to be!”