In 1970, the Mustang Boss 302 was in its second year. Its 302-cubic -inch V-8 used cylinder heads from the 351 Cleveland V-8 and was rated at 290 hp. This pristine example, a numbersmatching car that
underwent a rotisserie restoration earlier this year, is owned by Mike Friedlander of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Given how enthusiastically Ford has mined the Mustang’s rich history, it was only a matter of time before we would see the Boss nameplate again. Well, the time has come: Ford rolled out the new Mustang Boss 302 (for static display only) at the historic races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California. The car will rumble into dealerships next spring as a 2012 model. The corral of high-performance Mustangs is getting crowded. After all, the Mustang GT is newly fortifi ed with 412 hp from its recently introduced 5.0-liter engine, and the Mustang Shelby GT500 pounds out 550 hp from its supercharged 5.4-liter V-8. So one might reasonably wonder where the Boss 302 fi ts in. The short answer is: between the two, in both price and performance. But the more in-depth answer is that this car isn’t supposed to be merely an intermediate step in a hierarchy of hopped-up Mustangs; it’s actually something racier, more hard-core, and really, really cool.
Like its 1969 namesake—which was essentially a street version of the SCCA Trans-Am race car—the
new Boss 302 was designed with an eye toward the track. That’s particularly true of the Boss 302 Laguna
Seca edition, a limited-production, streetable track version that tosses out the back seats in favor of additional
body sti eners and features an even more extreme chassis setup.
Both the standard Boss 302 and the Laguna Seca move the Mustang away from a traditional, Detroitstyle
muscle car that is focused on 0-to-60-mph performance fi rst and handling second. Instead, the dictum
with the Boss was to create “the best-handling Mustang ever.” Mustang engineers also aimed to increase
power output not with a heavy—though e ective— supercharger, but instead by getting the 5.0-liter
V-8 to rev more freely. They also wanted to give it more power in the upper rev ranges, consistent with how the Boss will likely be used on a track.
Thus, changes to the 5.0-liter V-8 were not just to increase its output but also to alter its nature. Not surprisingly, the modifi cations are extensive. There’s a new intake manifold and ported cylinder heads for
better breathing. An engine oil cooler, a lighterweight valvetrain, forged (rather than cast) aluminum pistons, and forged connecting rods are designed to handle higher engine speeds. Ford engineers used the Boss 302R
racing car as a development test bed, and, based on their experience at the track, they revised the road car’s radiator to improve engine cooling and added ba es to the oil pan to prevent oil starvation.
The net result of all these changes is an engine redline that has been raised by 500 rpm to 7500 rpm and an increase in power output from 412 hp to 440 hp at 7500 rpm—at a cost of 10 lb-ft of peak torque, with the Boss 302’s V-8 rated at 380 lb-ft at 4500 rpm.
One of the more interesting aspects of the Boss engine is its exhaust system. Supplementing the standard Mustang GT’s dual exhausts are two additional pipes that exit just ahead of the rear wheels. These side exhaust outlets incorporate metal discs that keep the sound at legal levels— but they are removable, should the owner want something louder. The Boss is plenty vocal even with the discs in place, as the induction
sound tube has been retuned and eleven pounds of sound deadening have been stripped out.
The engine sends power rearward via an upgraded clutch with a steel-backed disc and a short-throw, close-ratio sixspeed manual (no automatic is available).
Whereas the Mustang GT has a 3.31:1 fi - nal-drive ratio, the Boss gets a 3.73:1 unit, with carbon-fi ber friction plates in its limited slip; a Torsen rear axle is standard on the Laguna Seca model and is optional
(bundled with Recaro seats) on the regular Boss 302.
Any car expecting to see racetrack duty needs serious brakes, and so the Boss upgrades from the Mustang GT’s 13.2-inch front discs to the GT500’s fourteen-inch vented front discs and four-piston Brembo
calipers. The GT’s standard 11.8-inch rear rotors are retained, but the pad material is upgraded. Brake lines have been sti ened to improve pedal feel. The Laguna Seca additionally receives front brake-cooling
ducts—they’re available as an accessory for the standard Boss 302.
As expected, the Boss features fi rmer springs, antiroll bars, and suspension bushings, but the car takes the driver-tunable racing aspect one step further with manually adjustable front and rear dampers. The
fronts are accessible from under the hood and the rears from in the trunk; drivers can use a screwdriver to select one of fi ve sti - ness settings. Position 1 is equivalent to a GT with the Brembo brake package, while
positions 2 through 5 are progressively sti er. The Laguna Seca’s softest setting (1) matches the Boss 302’s fi rmest setting (5). The steering e ort is also driver-adjustable. Electric power steering was introduced
with the 2011 model year, and as in the Mustang GT, drivers can choose among three e ort levels. Similarly, the traction and stability control systems include a competition mode that allows greater drift
angles, or they can be shut o entirely. The tire and wheel package consists of nineteen-inch aluminum alloys for both cars. The Boss 302 wheels, painted black, are nine inches wide in the front and 9.5 inches in the rear and are wrapped in Pirelli PZero rubber; the Laguna Seca wheels are another half-inch wider in back, are fi nished in orange and silver, and use R-compound PZeros.
Ford likes to say that the Boss isn’t just a sticker-and-wheel package. True enough, but that doesn’t mean that exterior graphics have been ignored. Indeed, the huge C-stripe on the side is an unmistakable homage to the original 1969 Boss. The stripe color (black or white) is repeated on the hood and the roof. Additional exterior design elements include a front splitter, a rear wing, and a grille with blanked-out foglight holes (why not just design a newgrille?). Body colors are red, blue, orange, yellow, or white. The Laguna Seca gets red
graphics, with additional color splashes on the grille surround and mirror caps. Its base body colors are black or silver only. It also has more extreme aero aids, taken directly from the 302R racing car.
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