Two headlamps again
Both headlamps sit inside a larger grille opening. Simulated air vents fill the openings where the outer pair sat on the 1969.5111213
Class of '70 · Ford Mustang · 1969–1970 body · first generation
1970Ford Mustang
The second and last year of the Boss 302 and Boss 429, and a fall to 198,239 cars.
The year in brief
Production fell 33.9 percent to 198,239, counting 7,013 Boss 302s and 499 Boss 429s. Without them it was 190,727.12347
The Boss 302 sold 7,013 in its second and last year, at a suggested price of $3,720.13
Ford built 499 Boss 429s for 1970, the last year of the model.14
The convertible was down to 7,673 cars, 3.9 percent of production.127
The 1970 Shelby Mustangs are disputed. Wikipedia says all of them were built in 1969 and that 789 unsold cars were given new serial numbers and titled as 1970 models. CJ Pony Parts lists 315 GT350s and 286 GT500s as 1970 production.25sources disagree
The story of the year
The Trans-Am title
In 1969 the Boss 302 team lost the Trans-Am series to Roger Penske's Camaros, slowed by pit stops and by Firestone tires that did not hold up.3one source
For 1970 Ford put Bud Moore in charge of its factory effort, with two cars on Goodyear tires.3one source
Parnelli Jones drove Bud Moore's Boss 302 to the 1970 Trans-Am manufacturers' championship for Ford, ahead of Mark Donohue and Team Penske's AMC Javelins.38
It was the Boss 302's last model year. For 1971 Ford dropped it, and the Boss 429 with it, in favor of the Boss 351.3910
How to spot a 1970
What tells it apart from a 1969.
The pony moves to the middle
The tri-color pony sits in the center of the grille. The Mach 1 has no pony there at all.12one source
No side scoops
The dummy scoops on the sides are gone, so the fastback's rear fenders are smooth.1214
Boss 302 stripes
On the Boss 302 the C-shaped side stripe of 1969 becomes a "hockey stick" stripe that runs up the front fender and onto the hood.31213
Production12
198,239 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Hardtop | Standard | 77,161 |
| Luxury | 5,408 | |
| Grandé | 13,581 | |
| All hardtops | 96,150 | |
| Fastback | Standard | 39,470 |
| Luxury | 6,464 | |
| Mach 1 | 40,970 | |
| Boss 302 | 7,013 | |
| Boss 429 | 499 | |
| All fastbacks | 94,416 | |
| Convertible | Standard | 6,199 |
| Luxury | 1,474 | |
| All convertibles | 7,673 | |
| Total | 198,239 | |
The standard and luxury split comes from CJ Pony Parts; Maine Mustang gives the same body totals. Unlike in 1969, the Boss cars come on top of the other fastbacks.
Production figures courtesy of Marti Auto Works.
Engines156
9 engines. The letter is the engine code in the VIN.
Codes from Maine Mustang. Its H-code carburetor is wrong, and the F-code rating is disputed; see the rulings below.
Price when new1one source
Base retail prices in 1970 dollars, before options.
Colors15one source
21 factory colors, by number of cars. 11 of the 21 color names are confirmed by a second source115; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Medium LimeG
Candyapple RedT
Black JadeC
Acapulco Blue6
Wimbledon WhiteM
Bright GoldK
Competition YellowD
Calypso Coral1
Medium Blue MetallicQ
Grabber BlueJ
Light Ivy Yellow2
Pastel BlueN
Grabber OrangeU
Nugget Gold MetallicS
Grabber GreenZ
Chestnut MetallicY
Raven BlackA
Bright Yellow9
Gulfstream AquaF
Royal MaroonB
Silver Jade4
CJ Pony Parts lists 21 colors that add up to 189,717 cars, 95.7 percent of production; the rest are not broken out. Maine Mustang lists 11 of the same names; Royal Maroon, Black Jade, Competition Yellow, Gulfstream Aqua, Nugget Gold Metallic, Candyapple Red, Chestnut Metallic, Silver Jade, Acapulco Blue and Bright Yellow appear only in CJ Pony Parts' list. Maine Mustang's list also has names CJ Pony Parts does not use, such as Medium Gold Metallic, Dark Ivy Green Metallic and Silver Blue Metallic. The counts come from one source.
Reading the VIN1one source
A 1970 VIN has 11 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
0F05M100001 · Constructed from the code table: a 1970 Dearborn-built Mach 1 with the 351 four-barrel. Maine Mustang writes its sample «0FO2Z100001» with a letter O.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Model year (1970) |
| F · R · T | Plant: Dearborn · San Jose · Metuchen |
| 01 – 05 | Body: hardtop · fastback · convertible · Grandé · Mach 1 |
| T · L · F · G · H · M · Q · R · Z | Engine code (table above) |
| 100001 → | Consecutive unit number |
Where to find it: On the top edge of the dash, driver's side, visible through the windshield.16one source
Questions about the 1970
How many 1970 Ford Mustangs were made?
Ford built 198,239 for the 1970 model year: 96,150 hardtops, 94,416 fastbacks, 7,673 convertibles.12
How can you tell a 1970 Mustang from a 1969?
Four signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: two headlamps again; the pony moves to the middle; no side scoops; Boss 302 stripes.3511121314
What engines did the 1970 Ford Mustang have?
Nine engine codes, from the 200 cu in inline-six to the 429 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.156
How much did a 1970 Ford Mustang cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: hardtop $2,721; Grandé $2,926; fastback $2,771; convertible $3,025; Boss 302 $3,720; Boss 429 $4,928.1one source
What colors did the 1970 Ford Mustang come in?
CJ Pony Parts counts 21 factory colors. The most common was Medium Lime, on 24,838 cars.15one source
Where is the VIN on a 1970 Ford Mustang?
On the top edge of the dash, driver's side, visible through the windshield.16one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1970, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Settled
1970 total production
Our ruling: 198,239 with the Boss 302 and Boss 429, 190,727 without them; the difference is exactly the 7,512 Boss cars. Wikipedia's 191,239 matches neither.
What each source says (4)
- 198,239, including 7,013 Boss 302 and 499 Boss 4291one source
- 190,7277one source
- Rows adding to 190,727, without the Boss models2one source
- 191,239 (US sales)17one source
Settled
How much production fell in 1970
Our ruling: 33.9 percent: 198,239 against 299,824, with the Boss cars counted in both years. The 36.39 compares 1970 without the Boss cars against 1969 with them, and 5.5 is MustangSpecs' figure for 1969.
What each source says (1)
- «Total production was down 5.5% year on year» and «down from 299,824, a drop of 36.39% versus 1969»7one source
Settled
An error in Maine Mustang's 1970 engine list
Our ruling: We use a 2-barrel for the H-code, as Wikipedia's table and CJ Pony Parts do independently.
What each source says (3)
- H = 351 «4v», 250 hp1one source
- Engine table: 351 Cleveland 2-barrel, 250 hp5one source
- H 351 2-barrel, 250 hp6one source
Open
The 302 two-barrel (F-code) in 1969–70
Our ruling: Unresolved: 210 or 220 hp. Maine Mustang and Wikipedia's text say 220, Wikipedia's table says 210, and CJ Pony Parts gives one rating for six model years. We show both.
What each source says (3)
- F = 302 2-barrel, 220 hp, in both 1969 and 1970118one source
- Text: 1969 brought «a revised» 302 with 220 hp; engine table: 302 2-barrel, 210 hp, 1969–19705one source
- F = 302 2-barrel, 210 hp, one rating for 1968–19736one source
Open
Shelby Mustangs sold as 1970 models
Our ruling: Unresolved. Wikipedia says the 1970 cars were 1969 cars with new serial numbers, 789 of them. CJ Pony Parts lists 601 (315 + 286) under 1970 production. We do not state a 1970 Shelby count.
What each source says (2)
- 1970: GT350 fastback 315, GT500 fastback 2862one source
- «All 1969–1970 Shelby Mustangs were produced in 1969. Because of dwindling sales, the 789 remaining 1969 cars were given new serial numbers and titled as 1970 models.»5one source
Settled
How many Boss 302s were built for 1970
Our ruling: We use 7,013, which Maine Mustang and MustangSpecs give independently and which makes Maine Mustang's 198,239 total add up. Wikipedia's 7,013 cites MustangSpecs. Over-Drive's 6,318 stands alone.
What each source says (4)
- Boss 302 7,013 (in the 198,239 total)1one source
- «Production Numbers: Boss 302: 7,013»19one source
- «a total of 7,013 were sold» (citing MustangSpecs)3one source
- «it is surprising that 6,318 were sold»11one source
Sources
- 1970 Mustang Technical Data Maine Mustang · read 2026-10-11
- 1965-1973 Mustang Production Numbers CJ Pony Parts · read 2026-10-11
- Boss 302 Mustang Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- Boss 429 Mustang Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- Ford Mustang (first generation) Wikipedia · read 2026-10-10
- 1964-1973 Mustang Engine Codes CJ Pony Parts · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Ford Mustang Production Numbers MustangSpecs · read 2026-10-11
- From RACER: Parnelli Jones, 1933-2024 Trans Am Series · read 2026-10-11
- 1971 Ford Mustang Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Mustang History: 1971 shnack.com · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Ford Mustang Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1969, 1970 Ford Mustang HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- Classic Mustang Spotters Guide 1964-1/4-1973 Autotrader Classics · read 2026-10-11
- Ford Mustang Mach 1 Wikipedia · read 2026-10-10
- 1965-1973 Mustang Production Numbers: production by color CJ Pony Parts · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Ford Mustang VIN Information MustangSpecs · read 2026-10-11
- Ford Mustang Wikipedia · read 2026-10-10
- 1969 Mustang Technical Data Maine Mustang · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and Boss 429 MustangSpecs · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1968Ford MustangThe last year of the 1967–68 body, and the year of the Bullitt car.317,404 built
1969Ford MustangA longer body and four new names: Mach 1, Grandé, Boss 302 and Boss 429.299,824 built
1971Ford MustangThe biggest first-generation Mustang, and the year the Mach 1 made up almost a quarter of production.151,484 builtSee the whole first generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1964½–1973.