Dan Gurney – Pulpaddict

1969 MERCURY CYCLONE & SPOILER

Packed with 428 CJ power, the 1969 MERCURY CYCLONE & SPOILER delivered maximum performance and head-turning styling.

1969 MERCURY CYCLONE & SPOILER

It was a banner year for Ford Bosses: Boss 302, Boss 429, and Bunkie Knudsen, the new boss of bosses. His passion for racing—and racing what dealers could sell—supported the Boss 429 program, which helped impact Mustang sales. More importantly, it helped move mainstream Mercury Montego/Cyclone/Spoiler and Ford Fairlane/Torino models like those that dominated NASCAR, USAC, and ARCA.

If he wanted to beat Mopar Hemis on superspeedways, Knudsen knew its wind-cheating Cyclone Spoiler/Spoiler II and Torino Talladega needed a new engine. And, to get it homologated for NASCAR, the engine had to be available in a production car. Enter the Boss 429, with a unique 385-Series “dry deck” block, oversize aluminum heads with staggered valves, and crescent-shaped, Hemi combustion chambers. It was a pure racing engine designed and built by Ford and made available to the public only in a Boss 429 Mustang.

Both the Spoiler II and Talladega were more aerodynamic than the production Cyclone and Torino to be more competitive with Dodge’s Charger 500. Based on SportsRoof fastbacks, the Spoiler II and Talladega proved themselves on NASCAR’s Super Speedways.

1969 MERCURY CYCLONE & SPOILER To race at Daytona in February of 1969, Ford had to document a minimum of 500 production models. A total of 754 Talladegas, including prototypes, were built with standard 428 CJ engines, C-6 automatic transmissions, flat black hoods and cloth-vinyl bench seats. Similar Mercury Cyclone Spoiler IIs with large rear wings were also produced at the Atlanta, GA plant. To meet NASCAR homologation specs, Mercury added two special edition signature Spoiler IIs celebrating Cale Yarborough, with a red metallic roof, and Dan Gurney, with a blue roof. Unfortunately, they didn’t produce enough Spoiler IIs in time for Daytona. While the new, more aerodynamic cars were legal for Daytona, the Boss 429 engine was not. Ford teams had to run the old Tunnel Port 427s fitted with single Holley Dominator four-barrels. Ford partnered with Holley on the design and engineering of the new 1,000-1,100-cfm Dominator, giving them exclusive use of the new carburetor before public release.

LeeRoy Yarbrough won the Daytona 500 in a Junior Johnson 427 Talladega. And he did it in a backup car since he had wrecked his regular NO.98 Torino. He accomplished it with a last-lap pass of race-leader Charlie Glotzbach! Yarbrough, considered one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers, went on to win the Southern 500 and World 600 – the first driver to win NASCAR’s prestigious Triple Crown.

The first appearance of Boss 429 engines and Cyclone Spoiler IIs was at the Atlanta 500 on March 30, 1969. Cale Yarborough won the race in the NO. 21 Wood Brothers Cyclone Spoiler II, followed by David Pearson in Holman & Moody’s NO. 17 Talladega. Cale averaged 132.19 mph and led the race for 308 of the 334 laps in the new winged Mercury Spoiler II.

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about the 1969 MERCURY CYCLONE & SPOILER and midsize Montego can be found at OVER-DRIVE magazine, https://over-drive-magazine.com/2025/01/31/1969-mercury-montego-cyclone-fact-sheet/

The 1969 MERCURY CYCLONE & SPOILER 428 CJ models are covered in DAY ONE, https://www.amazon.com/Day-One-Automotive-Journalists-Muscle-Car/dp/0760352364/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493561421&sr=1-1&keywords=Day One by Martyn L. Schorr

DAN GURNEY’S REAL-FINE CHEVY 409

DAN GURNEY’S REAL-FINE CHEVY 409 will Pace the Dan Gurney Saloon Car Trophy Race at the upcoming Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion!

DAN GURNEY’S REAL-FINE CHEVY 409

Few would call American racing hero Dan Gurney subtle when he entered a slightly modified stock ‘61 Chevy Impala to race against smaller displacement cars at the British Saloon Car Championship at Silverstone 63 years ago. Now, under the rightful ownership of his son Justin Gurney, this original Impala will be driven by Justin as the pace car for the Dan Gurney Saloon Car Trophy race at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on August 13-16 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“My dad loved this car and always talked about it,” explained Justin Gurney, president and CEO of the famed All-American Racers. “There’s a photo of him driving it in our office’s hallway and a large mural in the shop.”

But it was bittersweet as the Impala was banned before the next race after its lone appearance where he was leading before a wheel broke on the second to last lap. “Dad wasn’t very happy with the ban before the second race and tried to argue his case, but in the end realized he couldn’t fight city hall and sold it on the spot.”

Justin is excited about returning to Laguna Seca and bringing this historic Impala to life. “I’m not going to race the car, but to participate as the pace car in the Dan Gurney Saloon Car Trophy races is going to be exciting and sentimental,” he explained. “When unmuffled as it will be, the deep guttural 409 big block engine should turn quite a few heads, to say the least.”

DAN GURNEY’S REAL-FINE CHEVY 409

When DAN GURNEY’S REAL-FINE CHEVY 409 Impala was restored, the original 409 engine couldn’t be found, so a replacement 409 was installed. But when the owner expressed interest in selling the car to Justin, the original 409 with matching numbers was found powering a boat!

Several weeks ago, when the container arrived in the Port of Los Angeles after a circuitous route through Scotland, Europe, Panama Canal, and Canada, for which Justin kept tracking its movement, he anxiously unlocked and swung open the door to see DAN GURNEY’S REAL-FINE CHEVY 409 Impala for the first time, with its original 409 engine!

“It was an emotional experience to sit on the bench seat and take hold of the steering wheel. It even has the original AM radio that Dad kept intact, although this car is so loud there is no way you could hear music!”

“We are thrilled to invite Justin to the Rolex Reunion and have him bring this historic Impala that meant so much to his dad,” said Bruce Canepa, chair of the Rolex Reunion Advisory Council and vice president of Friends of Laguna Seca. “Everyone will enjoy seeing and hearing this long-lost car fittingly serve as the pace car for the Saloon car race. Making memories like this are what the Rolex Reunion is all about.”

Justin was anxious to show DAN GURNEY’S REAL-FINE CHEVY 409 Impala to his mother Evi and give her a ride around town. And according to Canepa, he’s pressing Justin to take her out as a passenger during the pace laps at the Rolex Reunion. “I can’t think of a better tribute to Dan than to have Evi riding shotgun with Justin in one of Dan’s favorite cars at one of his favorite race courses,” Canepa said.

DAN GURNEY’S REAL-FINE CHEVY 409 To enjoy being part of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and bear witness to more than 400 historic race cars competing, the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Formula 1® and the return of the IROC race series with many of their legendary drivers behind the wheel, start planning now.

Individual and multi-day tickets, VIP hospitality packages, and camping may be found online at https://weathertechraceway.com/pages/rolex-monterey-motorsports-reunion?mc_cid=78d2540b54&mc_eid=ef6f751cd9

To learn more about the Gurney Family’s All-American Racers, please visit https://allamericanracers.com/

’67 MERCURY COUGAR

More of a real GT than Ponycar, the ’67 MERCURY COUGAR delivered performance plus luxury, and a direct connection to Dan Gurney and Trans-Am racing.

’67 MERCURY COUGAR

Launched in 1967 under “The Sign Of The Cat”, the slightly longer and more luxurious Mustang platform ’67 MERCURY COUGAR was a huge success. It appealed to young adults who wanted a Mustang with more interior room, luxurious appointments, and distinctive, up-level styling. Approximately six inches longer than the Mustang, with a three-inch longer 108-inch wheelbase, the 190-inch-long Cougar looked like nothing else in the 1967 Ford and Lincoln-Mercury portfolios. It delivered luxury appointments plus Mustang performance – and then some!

In keeping with “The Sign Of The Cat” advertising tagline and promotions, the Cougar debuted at major auto shows as well as special dealer promotions with Chauncey, an un-caged, three-year-old, leash-trained Cougar/Mountain Lion that was born in captivity. Some of the landmark “Sign Of The Cat” Cougar print and TV commercials featured Farah Fawcett and Chauncey. The idea of using a live animal came from Lincoln-Mercury PR director Gayle Warnock and his assistant, Bill Peacock. While incredibly effective as a marketing tool, there were some close calls with auto show spokes models. Full-sized soft stuffed Cougars eventually replaced Chauncey, making auto show spokes-models and animal rights advocates considerably happier!

Right out of the box, the ’67 Cougar won Motor Trend’s “Car Of The Year” honors, unquestionably helping drive dealership traffic and sales. Racing the Cougar in SCCA Trans-Am competition and running against its corporate cousin, Mustang, also raised the vehicle’s profile and brought more potential buyers into Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. Fran Hernandez, Supervisor of Lincoln-Mercury’s Performance & Evaluation Section, championed a deal with Dan Gurney and Bud Moore Engineering in Spartanburg, SC to build Trans-Am Cougars and run the racing team. Hernandez and Bud Moore had been working together on NASCAR Comets and track-ready 390 Comet drag cars since 1965.

In 1967, Bud Moore’s Cougars, above, collected 62 points to Mustang’s 64, finishing second in the SCCA Over-Two-Liters class Trans-Am Championship. Driving Bud Moore Cougars, Dan Gurney won at Green Valley, Peter Revson won at Lime Rock Park and Bryar Motorsports Park and David Pearson won at Riverside Raceway. After being successfully raced in Trans-Am competition, one of the Bud Moore Cougars went to “Tiny” Lund to race in NASCAR’s new Grand Touring or “Baby Grand” Division, the name changed later to Grand American Series. In 1968 Lund won the NASCAR Grand Touring Championship and dominated the series in 1970 and 1971. Lund won 41 of the 109 races in the series’ history. Two of the three NO.98 Bud Moore Trans-Am Cougars driven by Dan Gurney have been restored to original racing specs and are in two major collections – Larry H. Miller Motorsports Park Museum in Toole, UT, and Beth and Ross Myers’ 3-Dog Garage in PA.

The ’67 MERCURY COUGAR far exceeded initial sales projections and would account for nearly 40% of the entire Lincoln-Mercury division in 1967. The Cougar was released solely as a two-door hardtop, priced $284 more than the Ford Mustang, and was the first and only Mercury to win Motor Trend “Car of the Year”. ’67 Cougar XR-7, below, photographed by Stuart Schorr at The Cartier Style Et Luxe at Goodwood Festival of Speed.

’67 MERCURY COUGAR Learn more about the Cougar at https://over-drive-magazine.com/2024/11/01/1967-mercury-cougar-fact-sheet/

FLY LIKE A (GURNEY) EAGLE!

Powered by a Roush-built 725 horsepower four-cam Turbo Ford engine, Indy Car owner Mike Moss loves nothing more than to FLY LIKE A (GURNEY) EAGLE!

FLY LIKE A (GURNEY) EAGLE!

Michael “Mike” Moss has elevated multi-tasking to an art form! An HSR & SVRA Historic sportscar racer, Mike has three vintage Indy 500 open-wheelers. While his favorite is the 1969 (Olsonite #42) Gurney Santa Ana Eagle formerly driven by Denny “the Bear” Hulme at the 1969 Indy 500 and later by Swede Savage, Mike also owns the ex-Gordon Johncock Turbo Ford 1966 Gerhardt and ex-Bill Vukovich 1969 Mongoose, powered by a Turbo-Offy.

A member of the Sarasota Café Racers, Moss is the guiding force behind TEAM ZORA USA which will be campaigning his ’57 Corvette Fuelie in 1000 Miglia events in the USA and Italy in 2024-2025. Formed to celebrate America’s Sports Car and honor the legacy of its first Chief Engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov, he will co-drive the Fuel Injection Corvette with RM Motorsports’ Bud Bennett.

While the Corvette is being prepared for 1,000-mile road events, the Gurney Eagle’s Ford quad-cam engine was going through a complete overhaul and dyno testing at Roush. According to Roush’s Ron Sharp, the Eagle’s 2.65-liter/162 cubic inch four-cam, 32-valve turbocharged V-8 is putting out an un-stressed 725 horsepower.

The 1969 Gurney Eagle was designed by Tony Southgate who, prior to joining Dan Gurney’s AAR in 1967, had spent time at Lola working on the iconic T-70, later switching to Brabham. Southgate incorporated the basic Lotus 56 wedge design and Brabham front suspension in the Eagle, also known as the Santa Ana Eagle, referencing the AAR’s location, Santa Ana, CA.

FLY LIKE A (GURNEY) EAGLE!

Over a period of years and owners, this Eagle was powered by Gurney-Weslake stock-block Ford and small-block Chevy engines in addition an original Turbo quad-cam Ford that is currently supplying power. In 2006 it was restored to its original 1969 Indy debut condition, complete with Olsonite #42 livery. Mike Moss added it to his collection in August 2016, being the high-bidder at the RM Sotheby auction at Monterey. Moss has driven the Eagle in historic races and this year committed to a full engine overhaul at Roush. Looking like the day Denny Hulme drove it in the 1969 Indy 500, it remains a work of art created by an American racing legend: Dan Gurney.

“It’s almost too beautiful to race and as much as I love to FLY LIKE A (GURNEY) EAGLE! I think it may be time to ‘clip its wings’ and put it on display so the public can see and appreciate it as much as I have,” said Moss.

To learn more about FLY LIKE A (GURNEY) EAGLE! And AAR, please visit, https://www.oldracingcars.com/eagle/69/

CHEVY 409: BIG-BLOCK LEGEND

It may have started out as an updated 348-inch truck engine, but it ended up as the CHEVY 409: BIG-BLOCK LEGEND!

Two years before the Supercar hype and big-engined midsize cars, full-size ’62 Chevys, powered by 409-inch versions of the 348 W-Series passenger car and truck engine, carried the Musclecar banner for Chevrolet. While the engine first surfaced in the 1961model year, it was a late arrival. Just 142 Chevys with RPO-580 360-horsepower, single-four-barrel (Carter AFB) and solid-lifter-cammed 409 engines were produced. With 409 pound-feet of torque coming in at 3,600 rpm, performance was outstanding.

One of the first 409s built, a Bel Air model, went to “Dyno Don” Nicholson. He waded through an incredibly tough field at the 1961 NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, CA to win Stock Eliminator in his brand-new car. He was later disqualified because his engine had the latest GM valve springs and carburetor that had not yet been approved by NHRA. To help create a performance image quickly for its new powerplant, Chevrolet supplied the 409 engines to racers – so there were a lot of them out there.

In road racing competition in the U.S. and the U.K., Dan Gurney campaigned a ’61 Impala powered by the 409/360 engine. It was fitted with factory “Police & Taxi” suspension, quick steering, metallic brakes and Goodyear road-race tires mounted on wide NASCAR steel wheels. Bill Thomas blueprinted the engine and set up the chassis. Gurney broke the lap record at Riverside Raceway, set by Dave McDonald in a fuel-injected Corvette and had a field day in Sedan racing in the U.K.

The 409 CHEVY 409: BIG-BLOCK LEGEND came into its own in 1962. Chevy’s new big-block offered horsepower ratings of 380 at 5,800 rpm and 420 pound-feet of torque at 3,200 rpm with a single four-barrel carburetor. Also available was a 409/409 with 409 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 420 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm with dual four-barrel induction. Its success on drag strips and the street – and the June 1962 release of the Beach Boys’ first car song “409” – bolstered the 409’s appeal.

On the flip side of Surfin’ Safari (Capital Records), 409 got an incredible amount of airplay and probably influenced more than a fair share of sales of ’62 Chevy 409s. Almost 9,000 of them were sold in 1962 and I think you would have been hard-pressed to find purchasers who were not familiar with Brain Wilson and Gary Usher’s lyrics, “She’s real fine my 409”, and did not save their pennies and dimes to buy a brand new 409! Wilson recorded the intro exhaust sounds while Usher revved up the engine in his ’62 409 Impala!

The key players at Chevrolet responsible for the CHEVY 409: BIG-BLOCK LEGEND, and the 427 iteration (Z11) in 1963, were project chief, John T. Rausch, and key assistants, Howard H. Kehrl and Don McPherson. They were three of GM’s top engine engineers who went on to work on some of the most iconic performance engines.

Essentially a bored and stroked (4 5/16 x 3 ½ inches) 348-W engine used in passenger cars and trucks, the first 409 was a strong street motor that was long on low-end and short on top end torque. Standard equipment included a forged steel crank and .440/.440-inch lift camshaft. Weighing in at approximately 665 pounds, a 409 big-block was just 35 pounds heavier than the base Six! It’s potential as a race engine was enhanced when Chevrolet came out with a Service Package upgrade in mid-1962. Many of the parts in the package had earlier been sent to factory “supported” drag and NASCAR racers.

Chevy’s top performance 409 for 1962 boasted dual four-barrel Carters with progressive linkage on an aluminum manifold, 11.0 -to-1 pistons, improved heads with 2.20-inch intake valves and larger ports, high-lift camshaft with solid lifters, stiffer valve springs and a 75-psi oil pump. The actual compression ratio of the 409/409 was 11.04-to-1 with 83-85 cc combustion chambers. With two factory-installed head gaskets on each engine bank, chamber capacity would reach 91 ccs and the compression ratio would drop to 10.20-to-1 for street driving.

Some of the components of the 1962 ½ 409 Engine Service Package #3822953 included a new dual-point distributor, .480-inch lift camshaft, improved single four-barrel aluminum manifold and Carter #3345-S carburetor. It was primarily geared to upgrade the 380-horsepower engine.

Considering the engine was only available in full-size models, including convertibles with or without RPO-240 Super Sport (SS) trim, real world street performance was impressive. I recall going to Westhampton Raceway on Long Island to do some stories and check out some new 409 Impalas. We were able to get a couple of owners to allow us to clock some 0 to 60 mph times using a stopwatch. A 380-horsepower 409 Super Sport Impala with close-ratio four-speed and 3.70 Posi gears could sprint to 60 mph in the low to mid-sevens. Quarter-mile times ranged from 92 to 95 mph in 15.0 to 15.5 seconds. A hotter 409/409 Bel Air with 4.11s and four-speed ran high-14s to low-15s at 96 to 99 mph. Sprinting to 60 mph from a dead stop took just 6.3 to 6.6 seconds. It should be noted that these cars’ engines had headers and were were shod with the ultimate traction tire of the day – Atlas Bucrons!

1962 was a very good year for 409 drag racers and Chevrolet. “Dyno Don” Nicholson won Street Eliminator at the NHRA Winternationals, Hayden Proffitt won Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Indy Nationals and Dave Strickler beat Hayden Proffitt to win Super/Stock. Other popular drag racers like Butch Leal, Hubie Platt and Dick Harrell successfully campaigned 409s in 1962. Most of the A-List racers had direct support from Chevrolet. Records at GM’s Tonawanda, NY Engine Plant show that they produced 15,019 409 engines. 8,909 went to new car assembly and the balance of 6,110 for warranty service and aftermarket sales.

Strickler’s Old Reliable ’62 Chevy was tuned by Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins and owned by sponsor, Ammon Smith Chevrolet in York, PA. When fitted with an aluminum front end, Old Reliable competed in NHRA’s A/FX class. Chevrolet supplied approximately 20 sets of aluminum front ends in 1962 to key racers.

It was a landmark year for the 409 and Chevrolet. The 409/409 with dual quads was the car to beat in 1962, on the street and on the track. For 1963 the top-rated dual-quad 409/409 received a performance bump to 425 horsepower along with chromed valve covers and air cleaner. Chromed engine accessories continued for 1964 and 1965 model years.

When fitted with single Carter four-barrel carburetion, the carryover 409/380 engine was rated at 400 horsepower. Multiple carburetion was discontinued after the 1964 model year. For 1965, 409s were rated at 340 and 400 horsepower before being phased out for the incoming, much-improved Mark IV big-blocks, displacing 396 cubic inches.

The CHEVY 409: BIG-BLOCK LEGEND had its day in the sun and Brian Wilson and Gary Usher absolutely got it right: “Nothing can catch her, nothing can touch my 409, 409!”

CHEVY 409: BIG-BLOCK LEGEND originally appeared in my 1962-1974 Musclecar Memoir, available on Amazon @ https://www.amazon.com/Day-One-Automotive-Journalists-Muscle-Car/dp/0760352364/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493561421&sr=1-1&keywords=Day One by Martyn L. Schorr