Chassis 9F02R-112073
First of 3 Kar Kraft Chassis
Prototype for 1969 Trans Am Mustangs
Test Car
Ford Media Car
Shelby Team Car
Driven by Horst Kweck, Dan Gurney, and Peter Revson
Going into the 1969 season Mark Donohue's #6 Sunoco Blue Camaro would be the car to beat. Ford's answer to the Z/28 was the new '69 Boss 302, and Ford financed two teams for 1969--Carroll Shelby's with drivers Peter Revson, Horst Kwech, Sam Posey, and Dan Gurney and Bud Moore's with drivers Parnelli Jones and George Follmer.
Kar Kraft built three cars for the 1969 season; this car chassis 9F02R-112073 was the prototype, test car and Ford media car. When Ford and Kar Kraft were done with the car it was given to the Shelby team. It did not appear until the fourth event of the season at Bridgehampton. It was raced in the remaining seven races of the championship with Horst Kweck as the primary driver and carried race # 2. Dan Gurney drove it at Kent and practiced with it at Sears Point. Peter Revson drove it at Laguna Seca finishing 4th overall for the car’s best result of the 1969 season.
It was the war between Ford and Chevy that made the '69 Trans Am year legendary. The Shelby and Bud Moore-prepared Mustangs were fast and stout--the Boss 302 engine thrived at high speeds. The Mustangs stayed close to the Camaros in the manufacturers' championship, even though they only won half as many races. They ended the year second, 64 points to 78.
1969 was Shelby’s last year as a Trans Am entrant. At the end of the year the car was sent to Bud Moore’s shop where it was used in the wind tunnel to test new front air dams and rear spoilers. It was updated to 1970 sheet metal, kept as a backup car, but not raced. It was then sold to John Gimbel of Dark Horse Racing who competed in the 1971 and 1972 Trans Am series. The car was returned to Bud Moore at the end of 1972 and then sold to Daher Racing from Guadalajara Mexico. Once again the car was returned to Moore who then sold it to Danny Moore (no relation). Danny won the SCCA National Championship with the car. Doc Rechnagel purchased the car in the mid 1980’s racing it in Oklahoma and Texas. Phil Gallant purchased the car and restored it back to its 1969 configuration in 2003.
During the restoration a huge amount of research was done on the car and many historic documents collected. Among those are the original Shelby files on each of the car’s races. Letters from Lew Spencer at Shelby attesting to the originality of the car. Contracts between Shelby, Revson, and Gurney for their services for the 1969 season. Engineering drawings from Kar Kraft and period photographs of the car in action. And much more.
The restoration was done to a very high concours standard with as many of the original parts retained as possible. Tony Oddo of T.O.E Performance Products built the engine, which produces 527hp with 420 ft lbs of torque. This car has been restored to period correct perfection. It is fully sorted and race ready. Of all the cars racing in the historic Trans Am group, this is with out a doubt one of the best. The attention to detail, and quality of the restoration is second to none.
Shelby Chassis 9F02R-112073
1969 Trans Am Race Record
Bridgehampton
Used as Backup Test Car
Bryar
Kweck, DNF
Mt. Tremblant
Kweck, DNF
Watkins Glen
Kweck, DNS
Laguna Seca
Revson, 4th
Kent
Gurney, 10th
Sears Point
Gurney qualifies the car but does not race.
Kweck, DNF
Riverside
Kweck, 9th
About the Kar Kraft Mustang Program
The Trans Am Boss 302 was the ultimate road racing “pony” car of its time. After a disappointing Trans Am season in 1968, Ford spared no expense in developing the Boss 302 race cars. In early 1969 Ford built 10 “plane Jane” Mustang fastbacks, equipped with four speed transmissions as the only option. They were complete cars but had no paint, sealers, or undercoating.
The cars were sent to Kar Kraft, where most of the modifications were done. They were stripped completely down to the last nut and bolt and rebuilt into race cars. The cars were actually built a lot differently from the procedure described in Ford’s Boss 302 modification books. Although some of the same parts were used. Kar Kraft built and welded permanent roll cages into the bodies, which besides safety, helped to stiffen the chassis. All the protruding flanges and seams on the unibody were trimmed back and welded solid. The front suspension upper and lower control arm mounting positions were both relocated for better suspension geometry. The arms themselves were strengthened by adding gussets and steel plates and the rubber bushings were all replaced by bearings The spring perches on the upper control arms were moved in about an inch to give the added tire clearance from the coil springs. The drag link and tie rods were replaced by heavy duty units, that also were designed for improved bump steer. Heavy duty springs were used front and rear, but along with the sway bars, the rates varied depending on which race they were to be used on. The rear leaf springs were about 3/4” narrower than stock for added tire clearance. The rules didn’t allow the track to be any wider than stock, so in order to get larger tires to fit, they had to be moved inward. The wheel s could not be any wider than 8” but Goodyear and Firestone developed special “Cantilever sidewall” tires that put about 10” of rubber on the ground. The wheels were 15” Mini-lites or American Racing mags. Full floating rear end assemblies were used and held in place by Watts linkage and double adjustable aluminum Koni shocks. The rear suspension also included a unique rear sway bar and two over ride traction arms, which were all held in place with hiem joints. The front strut rod bushings were also replaced with heim joints. Solid aluminum units replaced the stock sway bar and leaf spring mounting bushings.
The engine and transmission mounts were solid. The gas filler neck was moved to the top of the deck lid and fed into a 22 gallon fuel cell. The front disc brakes were four piston units adapted from a Lincoln and the rear discs were adapted from the front of an early Mustang. All the brakes had fresh air ducted to them. The fenders were modified with mild flairs and the front end sheet metal on some of the cars was lowered one inch in the front for better aerodynamics.
From Kar Kraft, the cars were delivered semi-finished to Bud Moore and Carroll Shelby. Each team had two main cars and at least one backup. This car was the first car built and used as the prototype for all that followed. At Shelby, rear end and transmission coolers were added along with an engine oil cooler and aluminum radiator. A Hurst shifter was installed. The Boss 302 engines were fully blueprinted. They had O-ringed heads, titanium valves and special heavy duty short blocks. The oil pan utilized three oil pickups which was the next best thing to a dry sup system. Dry sumps were not allowed. The intake held two large 4500 Holley dominator carbs, which had fresh air ducted to them from the grill area. The engine was connected to stainless steel exhaust headers, which lined up side by side under the car for improved ground clearance. Large exhaust pipes dumped out in front of the rear wheels. The Shelby cars were painted “corporate” blue with white side stripes.
Awarded Best Ford at the 2010 Monterey Motosports Reunion by Ford Motor Company
