Ford Historical Documents; Jan 31, 1969
When this site was originally established well over 10 years ago, we began with a review of some of the original Historical Documents we could find. These often led to more questions than answers. Today, we still do not know everything, but these documents do provide some answers. First up is this News Release dated January 31, 1969. In previous posts, we mentioned that Bill France was concerned about the public’s ability to purchase these cars prior to the Riverside and Daytona 500 races. This News Release solved that concern, but not the one over the Boss 429 engine or the Mercury Spoiler II.
Talladega News Release
The following letter to NASCAR dated March 13, 1969, appears to provide NASCAR with the necessary Invoices to approve the Boss 429 engine and Spoiler II for competition. This letter also contains reference to the often mentioned but poorly documented 100 Spoiler II “on track” “Drive-a-way” program at the Atlanta race. Also interesting to note is that this states the wings on these cars were being installed at the factory. Because these cars were being “delivered” to their new owner, the wings were not left in the trunk! I wonder if that included the steering wheel wrap and decals.
Boss 429 and Spoiler II Letter to NASCAR
The following letter dated March 25, 1969, to all Mercury dealers also adds some additional information on the Spoiler history. From January to March, the Spoiler was only available to dealers in “selected test districts”. However, after that, they were available nationwide. This letter does not seem to address the Spoiler II, which began production on February 1, 1969.
Spoiler Goes Nationwide
