Boss 281
Up until 2008, John had only owned pickup trucks. He had been pondering a first generation Mustang to purchase but finding the perfect car from 40 year old used stock proved to be a challenge. The S197 lineup was introduced in 2005 which caught his eye as well, and a mental tug of war began inside him. He eventually abandoned the idea of classic Mustang ownership for the bold retro style of the S197 and went to Sheridan Ford on October 4th 2008 and special ordered the specimen you see here.
The late Tom Petty proclaimed that "the waiting was the hardest part", this was particularly true in John's case as well. The car was ordered long before the introduction of COTUS, Ford's special order vehicle online tracking system. 75 days later the car arrived at the dealership and was prepped for delivery just in time for Christmas.
The late Tom Petty proclaimed that "the waiting was the hardest part", this was particularly true in John's case as well. The car was ordered long before the introduction of COTUS, Ford's special order vehicle online tracking system. 75 days later the car arrived at the dealership and was prepped for delivery just in time for Christmas.
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John says that for about 6 weeks, Ford kept telling him the car was in transit via rail from Flat Rock to Delaware. The Marti Report states otherwise though:
Order Received: 10/04/2008 Serialized and Scheduled for Build: 10/30/2008 Actual Build Date: 11/20/2008 Release Date: 12/04/2008 Sold: 12/17/2008 Ford did not put the car on to the transporter until December 4th and then it took almost 2 weeks to make the 555 mile journey to Delaware. The same trek would only take 14.5 days on foot! December 19th he finally took delivery of his brand new Black GT Premium and officially became a Mustang owner for the first time! |
Boss 281 has an impressive parts list geared more towards the show circuit rather than the track. Under the hood, the factory prop rod was ditched for the cleaner look of hood struts. Radiator cover extensions we installed along with strut tower covers, intake, throttle body and coil covers simplifying the look for the show judges. The JLT air intake and Lund tune are the only performance mods throughout the entire build.
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Although John opted for the interior and exterior appearance packages when ordering, he had to do the finishing touches himself. Up front a CDC California Special style chin spoiler was mounted below the lower grille inserts and blends nicely with the factory optional hood scoop. MRT louvers cover the rear window and trail down to the sequential tail lights accented with chrome bezels. Open the rear lid and you'll see the custom trunk lid mat matches the license plate. A set of Flow Master American Thunder with polished tips fill out the bling in the rear.
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The interior shows zero wear and is nothing short of show room new condition even with 18,000 miles on the car. The Crimson Red interior only made it into 555 of the 46,420 Mustangs produced in 2009, of the 555 it only found its way into 105 cars painted black making this one of the rarer color combos.
While waiting for his car to be delivered from the factory, John joined the First State Mustang and Ford Club. He has been an active member ever since and was also elected as Membership Chairman for the club in 2015. Boss 281 and John made the trip down to the 50th Mustang Celebration in Charlotte North Carolina hosted by Mustang Club of America with fellow club members and has been very active in local shows.
John says he has never tracked the car or raced it and doesn't intended on doing so in the future. Boss 281's main function is weekend toy and show car that has collected over 30 awards in regional shows in the North East. Six 1st place awards, and Four 2nd and 3rd place trophies along with numerous others. His favorite trophy stemming from a 3rd place win at First State Mustangs and Ford Club show because it was also his first trophy.
John says he has never tracked the car or raced it and doesn't intended on doing so in the future. Boss 281's main function is weekend toy and show car that has collected over 30 awards in regional shows in the North East. Six 1st place awards, and Four 2nd and 3rd place trophies along with numerous others. His favorite trophy stemming from a 3rd place win at First State Mustangs and Ford Club show because it was also his first trophy.
