The 1969 to 1973 Mustang is still considered the first generation Mustang and was built on the Falcon platform. The text reads, By 1969, Ford was making Mustang bigger and more luxurious, to broaden its appeal to a larger audience. The 1969 models included a new SportsRoof body style that replace the 2+2 Fastback. They still had the 108-inch wheelbase, but were almost six inches longer overall than the original. More than 80 percent of buyers were opting for a V8 engine, reinforcing the need for more muscle. The 220 hp 302 was the base V8, and the new 351 "Windsor" V8, the 390 V8, the 428 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet V8s also were available. Something new as available, too: the "Boss" 302 and 429 engines. The Boss 302's goals were to be the best-handling street car available in America, and to help Ford win the SCCA Trans-Am championship. With a big boost from Parnelli Jones' 1970 Trans-Am championship victory, the Boss 302 became what is arguably the single most iconic Mustang of all time. Indeed, 43 years later, Ford would successfully emulate and update the original Boss 302's exquisite balance of power and handling with a 21st century version. The Falcon platform's wheelbase for the 1971-73 Mustang was stretched on inch, 109 - necessary because Mustang's growth spurt now made it a full foot longer than the original - and heavier by some 600 pounds. The last year for the big Mustangs - and, for a decade, Mustang convertibles - was 1973. Rising insurance costs and gas prices, federal emissions standards and an OPEC oil embargo on the near horizon, combined to spell the end of the muscle car era.

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