The 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 is an iconic car worthy of this series, but it’s not the actual car driven by John Wick.

For those that don’t know the story, John Wick is a man on a revenge tour against a group of Russian mobsters. He lost his wife, who sent him a puppy to keep him company, and the Russians took his car and his dog. That car is quoted as being a 1969 Mustang Boss 429, but this is one instance of a movie taking liberties with the item.

A Scarce Car That Couldn’t Have Been part of this Movie

The 1969 Boss 429 Mustang is a scarce car. Only 1,359 models were ever made, which makes it extremely special. While current technology could allow this car to be part of the movie, Keanu Reeves performs many of his stunts, and none of the car chase scenes in the John Wick movies are doctored using computers. Instead of the rare car, the film used a more ordinary car: the 1969Mustang Mach 1, which offered a similar style as the Boss 429 but wasn’t nearly as valuable.

What Could the Right Car Have Been

If the John Wick moves used the Boss 429 model, this car featured a 7.0-liter 429 cubic inch engine that produced 375 horsepower and 450 lb.-ft. Of torque. Even though these were the official numbers from Ford, this car had much more power than the company quoted. This version of the Mustang was created as a NASCAR homologation special which made it extremely interesting. It was discontinued in 1970, which quickly made them cars that everyone wanted but only a few people could have because so few were made.

What Tells us the Car Was a Mach 1

While the average viewer is caught up in the action of the John Wick movies, those who love cars and know a lot about the Mustang models were able to pick out the characteristics that show which car was actually in the film. The biggest giveaway takes place during the second movie when John steals his vehicle back and grabs the automatic gear lever to put the car in reverse. This tells us that this was not the Mustang Boss 429 that it was advertised to be. All Boss 429 models used a four-speed manual transmission, making this a dead giveaway.

Other Features that Give Away The Real Car

The car shown in the movies has a non-functional hood scoop, which was part of the standard package of Mach 1. The Boss 429 uses a prominent and functional hood scoop. The John Wick car also has a chin splitter and rear spoiler, both of which are items that were not offered for the Boss 429 model. An exciting item took us to different carrom these two. The steering wheel of the John Wick car came from a Shelby Mustang. This was added to give the vehicle more flare and style to bring us a car that looks great in the movie. As you can quickly see, the filmmakers took several creative liberties with the car.

What are the Details of the Mach 1 Driven by John Wick

The 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is the actual car used in the John Wick moves and the one that was crashed at least five times during filming. This impressive car features a B&M shifter, an automatic transmission, a gray metal exterior, and a black interior. The seats are high-back models, and the vehicle has dual rally stripe decals, hood pins, and spoilers at the front chin and rear deck lid. Looking lower, the wheels of this car are Magnum 500 models wrapped in Firestone Wide Oval tires. A Shelby Wood 3-Spoke steering wheel from the Shelby Mustang shows up in this car. With the qualities put into this impressive machine, this was one of the unique cars in Hollywood.

The Engine Isn’t as Powerful as the Actual Car.

The Mustang Boss 429 gave us a massive engine with plenty of power, but Mach 1 isn’t a slouch. This car has a solid V8 engine delivering 250 horsepower and 3550 lb.-ft. Of torque. For a car from 1969, this is a pretty impressive number. These numbers are certainly enough to make John Wick could drive like a badass, which he did many times during the films.

While Not the Right Car, We Learn a Lesson

There is a breaking point for a man, and for John Wick, we can easily understand why he wants revenge on the Russians that wronged him. First, he loses his wife, then these gangsters steal his car and kill the dog his wife sent to him for companionship. It’s not a wonder he snaps and wants revenge. At least he can get back his Mustang and enjoy driving this fantastic car once again. As a side note, the so-called Mustang Boss 429 isn’t the only car that John Wick drives during the movie. He also operates a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6and a 2011 Dodge Charger SRT. These two cars were on the screen for a limited time, but they are pretty cool and make an appearance.

Does the John Wick Car Deserve to be Iconic?

The 1969 Mustang Boss 429 is an iconic car, but it’s not the actual car from the John Wick movies, making for excellent conversation. Does the Mustang Mach 1 deserve to be the iconic car, or should we stick to the model from the film with the Shelby steering wheel attached? Whether you want to enjoy talking about the specialized car or you love watching Keanu Reeves tear up the town in a Mustang while working on getting revenge for his dog, the action is fantastic, and the car is pretty darn cool even if it is the wrong car.