1970 Ford Mustang Trans-Am Parnelli Jones tribute
If you know a little bit about Trans-Am, you may recognise the Mustang featured. If you know a little more, you’ll know it’s in the livery of Parnelli Jones. If you know even more that, you’ll know it comes from the year when Trans-Am racing peaked.
But if you didn’t know any of the above, read on. . .
Keeping up with the Joneses
To give him his full name, “Parnelli” was actually Rufus Parnell Jones. Born in Arkansas, Jones started racing jalopies as a teenager, joined NASCAR soon after, then Indy cars.
Despite his success on ovals, including winning the 1963 Indy 500, Jones’s main love was road racing, so when the offer came to race Trans-Am in 1967, he didn’t need to be asked twice.
Joining the factory-backed Bud Moore team running Mercury Cougars, Jones would partner with the likes of Dan Gurney and Peter Revson, as well as our own Allan Moffat for a handful of races.
The Cougars did well in ’67, but not well enough to dethrone the Carroll Shelby-prepared Mustangs, which gave Ford the manufacturer’s championship by a mere two points from Mercury.
Pony Car Wars
The growth in popularity of Trans-Am racing is largely down the Mustang. Ford’s biggest hit of the 1960s sent all other American manufacturers scrambling to bring out a competitor, so when Ford took the Mustang racing, the competition had to be there, too.
What had started as the ‘Trans American Road Race Series’ in 1966 was a category for close-to-production cars, split into ‘Under 2.0 litre’ and ‘Over 2.0 litre’ groups. The former featured Lotus Cortinas, Porsche 911s and Alfa Romeos, but the latter featured more familiar home-grown models; Mustangs and Barracudas initially, later joined by other “pony cars” from Chevrolet, AMC, Dodge and Pontiac.
Being a manufacturer’s championship, it was purely a brand vs brand contest - the manufacturer got all the glory and there’d be no actual driver’s title awarded until 1972.
The Big One
After winning the first two Trans-Am titles, Ford lost their manufacturer’s crown to Chevrolet in 1968. Determined to win it back, they supported two teams the following year, one run by Shelby, with Bud Moore recalled to run the second Mustang team. After a year away from the series, Jones was back, too, winning two races and scoring four other podium finishes for Ford, but it wasn’t enough; Chevrolet won the Trans-Am crown again in ‘69.
The booming popularity of the series saw a raft of new and improved teams for 1970 – the year judged by many as Trans-Am’s biggest and best.
In his bold orange #15 Mustang, Jones won the opening two races of the ’70 season, then three more to return Ford to championship glory.
Jones’s Trans-Am heroics back then haven’t been forgotten, as evidenced by the car featured.
Parnelli Down Under
Currently for sale through Oldtimer Centre in Marrickville, NSW, this 1970 Mustang is owned by Brent Cowdry. Given he’s owned around 40 cars in his 42 years, it’s safe to say Brent’s a car enthusiast!
“Collecting cars must be hereditary. My father and I have been collecting cars most of our adult lives,” Brent said. “I have two sons, aged 16 and 13, and they both love cars, too.”
There’s enough interesting metal in Brent’s car history to easily fill another dozen articles, but for now, we’re focussing on the Mustang, which Brent spotted at Mustang Australia P/L in NSW a little over six years ago.
“I dropped by the showroom and saw this Mustang Boss 302 replica, complete in the race car livery. I immediately fell in love and had to have it.
“I left the showroom without it, though, and lost plenty of sleep that night, so I returned the next day and purchased the car – then I slept soundly,” Brent laughed.
Being very knowledgeable on his car and car racing history, Brent appreciated the Jones connection: “Parnelli Jones is a legend in American motor racing history, not unlike the legend status Peter Brock has here.”
As purchased, the Mustang was in flawless condition, thanks to a thorough three-year restoration by renowned specialists Sleeping Beauties in Queensland. Commissioned by a previous owner, the restoration cost a reported $250,000 and included the replica Parnelli Jones 1970 livery.
“A good friend restored a Mercedes Benz 300SL Gull Wing with Sleeping Beauties and their reputation is impeccable, so I was very happy to hear they completed this restoration, too.”
Parnelli Perfected
Brent loves to drive his cars, so had some mods and upgrades commissioned after purchase to make the Mustang more user-friendly.
First up, the car was converted to right-hand drive by American Commercial Imports in Sydney. As part of this, the interior was refurbished and upgraded; Car Interior Plus in Artarmon getting the job here.
Decoding the VIN on Brent’s Mustang reveals it was a 1970-build from the Dearborn plant and came off the line with the ‘fastback Boss’ body and the 210hp 302 V8. Not being a genuine (ie. 290hp hi-po V8) Boss 302 made the conversion easier. Don’t worry, fans, he didn’t cut up a genuine Boss!
The upgrades included the addition of an hydraulic clutch (makes shifting much smoother and easier), upgraded suspension and disc brakes on all four wheels.
In the cabin, the comfort factor has been significantly improved with the addition of power steering and a tilt-adjustable steering column, as well as Vintage Air air conditioning, digital instrumentation, GPS and a modernised audio system from Retro-Sound.
Virtually all the new parts, including the suspension and brakes, were sourced from Rocket Performance in Huntingwood.
“[The changes] make it a pleasure to drive,” Brent explained. “Just like a modern car.”
Attention Grabber
Brent loved the exterior, so left that untouched, including the Grabber Orange paint and authentic Jones racing livery, which is certainly appealing. To say this Mustang draws attention is an understatement!
“My two boys and I took it to Double Bay for breakfast once and parked next to a new Lamborghini. When we returned to the car, several kids and parents were standing around it and I thought ‘My 1970 Mustang is attracting more attention than a half million dollar Lamborghini.’ That's cool!”
We couldn’t agree more.
Author: Mike Ryan
Photos: courtesy of Oldtimer Centre, NSW
