Automobile Enthusiasts

But the Boss 429 was indeed the same 1970 platform as the so called "secretary car" that was the base model that year. Instead of a distant cousin it was actually a primped up sister car with every available performance topping, including suspension upgrades to match the increased power. Even the body panels were the same with bolt on pieces to appear more beefy, including the hood and spoiler. As usual with the Mustang, it was offered in three basic sub-models, hardtop, fastback, and convertible (though not all available on the Boss). In the pizza world that would be akin to choosing between vegetarian, Hawaiian, and meat lovers, plus expensive toppings via the factory, Shelby, and official aftermarket shop Car Craft.

As far as DNA lineage goes, I believe the only cousin the Mustang ever knew was the Falcon, a related platform that spawned the original Mustang. It lived on in Australia until two years ago where it too followed the pizza analogy for performance upgrades, the eventual product being almost unrecognizable from the original econo box. Sad that they never saw our shores after 1970.

Still you're right that it's hard to imagine one sister in the car universe could be so dowdy while another a supermodel, but such is the reality of life itself.