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[TD][h=3]
Zero compromise -
created by Kar Kraft and Smokey Yunick.[/h] In January 1969 Ford Administration Service ordered 7 test mules in the Dearborn factory to be shipped over to Kar Kraft for a new exciting project - the BOSS 302. These pre-production BOSS 302 were all delivered as 351 Windsor (M-code) Sportsroof 69 models with VINs ranging from 9F02M148623 - 9F02M148629.

All of them received special suspension treatment by Kar Kraft, but only 3 of them received full dressing including an engine change, as most of them went to race teams, that wanted to develop their own combo for a real winner. One of these 3 got a 429 wedge engine and was later delivered to Smokey Yunick for further development of a road racer, as Bunkie Knudsen had his friend request.
When it was almost finished and ready for testing, Smokey got a call from Bunkie to have it ready for the Talladega race a few days later. Smokey was not amused, but changed the car again for the specific set-up needed for a circle track. The 429 engine was pulled and a smaller Yunick-modified engine installed. Smokey knew that the rocker arm assembly was the weakest part of the engine and had disputes with stubborn Ford engineers for a long time. He told Bunkie that it would not stand it for a race and that is how it exactly went. Upon qualifying with Bucky Blackburn at the wheel, he led the race most of the time ..until a valve stem made its way through the rocker arm just 2 laps before the finish and that was the end. Anyway Bunkie Knudsen was fired the day before so there was no more pushing. The car was put on a trailer and rolled home.

This ultrarare BOSS 302 T/A Racer has been bought soon after parking it at the Yunick facilities by Ed Rose and raced in stock races. Ed Rose was the same guy who probably bought another blue BOSS 302 T/A, that was not raced at all, from Smokey together with the black/gold one and the acid-dipped 68 BOSS 302 test mule, that was in Yunicks shop at that time.


The Yunick Boss was restored around 1990 by Brooke Mossgrove in a 2 years period with some help from Rich Rodeck on specific suspension parts.



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[TD="width: 301"][HR][/HR]Smokeys exhaust manifold set-up from 'down under'
[/TD]
[TD][HR][/HR] Nothing beats this set-up, I'd guess. Handfabricated art of an 3" exhaust organ that can be only played in the correct tune by a high-revving T/A engine.

Note the special separate 4-in-2 tube collectors and the double crossover draft tubes. Considering the thightness under a lowered race car, exhaust modelling without sacrificing highest possible flow stream for sure can be called an art in itself. [/TD]
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[TD="width: 301"][HR][/HR]Everything hand-fabricated!

[/TD]
[TD][HR][/HR] [FONT=Arial]11,7" Kelsey-Hayes disc brakes from '69 Lincolns up front with cooling vent tubes were set-up with billet-machined hubs for the special 15" racing wheels.
Quick-rim-mounting was made possible with the extended center hubs and screw-on-style spinners.[/color]

 

The rear axle was fitted with 4-caliper 10,5" front disc brakes from 65 Shelbys.
This 4-disc brake combo made a stopping power of 80-0mph in only 180 feet possible, a mere 116 feet less than a later stock BOSS 302.

Kar Kraft also used very expensive C7AX-rear ends in the T/A cars that cost about 5.000 dollar. Smokey stated in an interview that all these things were just beautiful and probably around 20.000 dollar worth, but he was not really convinced of the parts to withstand a circle track race like in Talladega.
He pulled even the handfabricated parts and turned the transmission front cover so that the turned around starter allowed more room for the exhaust manifold.
(text passage sources: Alex Gabbard - Fast Mustangs and Dr. John Craft/Boss and Cobra Jets)[/FONT]
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[TR]
[TD="width: 301"][HR][/HR] Exclusive on this site!
The Ford factory invoice of Smokey Yunick's Mustang!
[/TD]
[TD] [HR][/HR]9F02M148626 - Stamped to VVIN
The factory invoice - issued on 10th January 1969 reveals interesting details.
It lists

• special paint ID 178-D-406*
  • the special DSO 89-280 order, which was probably the same for all 7 consecutive numbered test-mule cars.
    • Rim-Blow Steering Wheel
      • rear tinted glass (standard in 1969)
        • 4-speed manual transmission
          • E78x14 P.R. BSW Tires
            • Interior Code 2A (Black Vynil)
              • Note the special mentioning of "All Dealer. and Sound Deadener Delete" at No extra charge.
              • 4 gallons of gas came to 1.33

This is really an ultrarare piece of historic documentation. Thanks to Steve Francis for sharing it with us.

According to the Mustang Production Guide by Jim Haskell/Jim Smart the 7 cars were probably built around 14th. of January 1969.

Kevin Marti (www.martiauto.com) has some more on this from his Ford Files.

"Actually, it (the print on the invoice) was supposed to say "Delete all SEALERS . . .". It was a typographical error. Yes, all 7 vehicles were identical including the Rim Blow. The tinted rear window was standard in all sportsroof Mustangs in 1969. The 178-D-406 is the tag code for keeping track of the car within the Ford system for inventory purposes."
Thanks Kevin, for looking this up.
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[TD="class: auto-style1, width: 301"] More pictures[/TD]
[TD] On Display at the Ford 100th. Anniversary (Pictures thanks to Steve La Riviere - Mustangsandmore.com)


[FONT=Arial]

 

The car in Ross Myers garage as of 2010[/FONT]
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[TD="class: auto-style1, width: 301"]Steve Francis took these latest engine bay pics in late 2014.
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Links tying some racing history together: see last post in thread

Abandoned tracks in Florida
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...s-fl-area.html

Bonneville History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...e-history.html

Daytona History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...a-history.html

Drag Racing History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/dr...ml#post9366328

This link has some historic drag racing pics.
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/dr...pics-ever.html

Local historic drag racing track Twin City Oldsmar
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...florida-4.html

Indianapolis History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9373490

24 Hours of Lemans history
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...s-history.html
Lemans

Lime Rock Park history
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/au...rock-park.html

Pikes Peak racing history Is Pikes Peak a road Race?
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9362624

History of Race Cars
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9370578

Sebring history
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...f-history.html

A bit of stock car racing history
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9362625
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/au...fast-cars.html

Trans Am History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/general-car-chat/823161-bit-trans-am-history.html#post9373730

Tying some Tampa Racing history together with links: Tampa International Raceway (Fair Grounds)
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...l-raceway.html

 

Burtin Racing to debut new TA class chassis at IMS

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emailBy Trans Am | June 13, 2023 5:29 PM ET

When the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli arrives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, driver and team owner Claudio Burtin will unload a brand-new Burtin Racing TA class chassis, which will make its competition debut in Saturday’s race following three years of design and development.

“There’s many unique features with this car,” said Burtin. “We worked very closely with TA Technical Director Aaron Coalwell in terms of the specifications and tolerances of what we could and could not do with the chassis and positioning of certain things. We consider it to be a very evolutionary design. We started from a completely clean sheet of paper, beginning with a benchmark and improving every aspect that we could within the rules.”

Burtin said that the metric-sized tubular design of the chassis is unique and is a foot wider than current vehicles in the TA field, utilizing the strength and lightweight nature of the chassis to create a more stable platform. It also moves the full contents of the fuel tank in front of the rear axle, allowing it to be more balanced. He also states that the car is metallurgically different than every other car in the garage. Through careful design, and the use of tubing with superior specifications, the new chassis has a torsional rigidity that is nearly three-times higher than the previous chassis.

“This is a lifelong dream of mine,” said Burtin. “It’s finally coming to fruition after three years, from conceptual ideas, design to surface plate. TA is a destination class for pro racing. TA cars are the ultimate machines in terms of an American road racing car. Every track Trans Am visits, we’re still breaking track records, which you can’t say for any other series competing in the United States.”

Burtin’s car this weekend is the first of its kind, with another currently halfway through production. The production process takes approximately six months for a turnkey, rolling vehicle with ECR engine. However, Burtin says that there are various states in which Burtin Racing can supply a car to a race team if they wish to finish it themselves.

The No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro, which will be driven by Burtin this weekend, was built in Burtin Racing’s 70,000 square-foot facility in Adairsville, Ga., with design and manufacturing assistance from Leap Racing in Georgia and CP Tech and CP Autosport in Germany.

“Owen Hayes from CP Tech, he’s the one that kind of orchestrated this whole deal, and the design was done by Brian Willis, who is the founder of Leap Racing in Georgia,” said Burtin. “He is the one who designed the chassis and did a lot of computational fluid dynamics air work on the car. Damon Lockhart was the primary fabricator on this car. We have our own in-house chassis dynamometers, and we have our own in-house 3-D modeling. The new car has approximately 40 different carbon parts on it where we were able to replace non-structural aluminum parts in order to save weight.”

This weekend will be the first event for Burtin Racing since Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last June. In addition to Burtin behind the wheel of the new No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro, Indiana native Adam Andretti will pilot a second entry for the team, the No. 44 Top Liner Camaro.

The Trans Am Series’ TA/XGT/SGT/GT standalone event begins on Thursday, June 15 and the green flag will wave for the feature race on Saturday, June 17. Tickets are available here.