When Parnelli Jones won the 1970 Trans-Am championship in a Bud Moore-built, School Bus Yellow Mustang fastback, his name became forever attached to the Boss 302, a fastback created by Ford to legalize its Cleveland-head small-block for the SCCA’s popular road-race series. Jones and teammate George Follmer dominated the 1970 season, with the hard-charging Jones taking the checkered flag in five of the 11 races. Over the years, Jones’ spectacular 1970 Trans-Am performance added luster to a legendary career that also included success in IndyCar, NASCAR, Sprint and off-road competition. In retirement, Jones collected vehicles related to his racing career, like Indy roadsters, modifieds and even his original 1969 off-road Bronco. In the early 2000s, Parnelli realized that, even though he had won a Trans-Am championship in a Boss 302 Mustang, he had never owned one. So, Parnelli approached his longtime racing associate G.S. Johnson with the idea of acquiring an original 1970 Boss 302 to build into a street replica of his Trans-Am champion Mustang. Johnson eventually tracked down the perfect candidate: a slightly modified, run-hard but rust-free California Boss 302. Initially intended as a “quick fix-up,” the project eventually blossomed into a full-scale restoration and build, with Johnson handing off the project to Mark Brown, who is well-known around southern California for the restoration work on his own 1970 Boss 302. Parnelli wasn’t looking for a concours-perfect Boss 302 with date-coded block and factory paint daubs; he wanted a fun and fast driver to remind him of his past Trans-Am glory. Parnelli established his Boss 302’s specifications. He wanted it repainted in School Bus Yellow like his former race car with the factory hockey-stick stripes placed lower on the body, as positioned by Bud Moore on the 1970 race cars. A single black hood stripe adorns the hood, and Minilite aluminum wheels recapture the 1970 look. Because the race cars didn’t use the Boss 302’s optional Shaker hood scoop or rear window louvers, they were removed. The base black interior includes vintage aftermarket gauges and a 1970s-style steering wheel. For Parnelli’s Boss, the fun begins under the hood with 330 HP, 40 more than a stock Boss 302 thanks to a rebuild of the Cleveland-headed, 302 CI powerplant with a high-performance camshaft, exhaust port plates, 289 HiPo distributor with PerTronix ignition, factory oil cooler and FPA headers that dump into a Dr. Gas X-pipe and MagnaFlow mufflers. An aluminum driveshaft links the wide-ratio 4-speed to a 9-inch rear end with Traction- Lok and 3.50:1 gears, all rebuilt by gear master Jed Jacobs. As you’d expect for a Mustang built for a road-racer, the Boss 302’s suspension is heavily upgraded with Koni shocks, 620-pound 1-inch lowering springs, Shelby front suspension drop and negative wedge upper ball joints. Front chassis stiffening is accomplished by a one-piece shock tower brace and Monte Carlo bar. A rear disc-brake conversion provides the Boss 302 with disc brakes at all four wheels. The finished car debuted in late 2006 at the Petersen Museum as part of the “An Evening with Parnelli Jones” special event. As the only Boss 302 Mustang ever owned by Parnelli, the car garnered considerable attention, appearing in a cover story for the May 2007 Mustang Monthly, followed by coverage in the May 2008 Mustang Times. In 2019, Jones sold his Boss 302 to builder Mark Brown, who has consigned the unique Mustang to the Mecum auction in Indianapolis where it will cross the block following the special sale of the Parnelli Jones Collection. “It’s the right time at the right place,” Brown says of his bitter-sweet decision to part with Parnelli’s Boss 302. “It was amazing to get to work on the project and even more amazing to have the opportunity to own it. When you build a car for Parnelli Jones, you don’t cut corners. We put it together right.” Since completion, Parnelli Jones’ 1970 Boss 302 has been driven only 2,000 miles, mostly by Parnelli. The Mustang comes with a signed declaration of ownership, photograph of the 2003 title assigned to Jones and the “PJ Boss” California license plate, along with a Deluxe Marti Report and Lois Eminger certification.
