Ford’s Boss 302 Mustang: The $676 Engine Option That Became a Legend
One of the era’s nimblest golden-age muscle cars proved a fierce road racing warrior. It was also reborn as a modern Mustang track star.
By the tail end of the 1960s, Ford was heavily involved in SCCA Trans-Am sports car racing. Although the Mustang initially did well in the series, by 1968 the Chevrolet Camaro had emerged as a dominant competitor, stealing much of the spotlight from the Blue Oval by winning more than three times as many races that season. Not only that, but a street-legal version of that racer, the Camaro Z/28, was turning a tidy profit for Chevy dealers.
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To counter the Chevy onslaught, the decision was made to produce a special version of the Ford Mustang aimed almost exclusively at Trans-Am, whose rules required that a road-going version of the track model be made available to the public (and at least 1,000 sold). Thus, the Boss 302 was born, a $676 package that could be added to any fastback (or SportsRoof) version of the pony car, which installed a unique, 302-cubic-inch V-8 in place of the 289- or 390-cubic-inch units available beforehand for Ford’s Trans-Am Mustangs.
Arriving midyear in 1969, the Ford Mustang Boss 302 remained on the order books through 1970. It stood apart from other muscle machines of the era by way of a focus on equipment that could deliver road course victories as opposed to straight-line thrills. After just two short years of production and minuscule sales numbers, the Boss 302 was retired in favor of the big-block Mustangs that closed out Detroit’s golden age in the early 1970s.
How to Spot a Ford Mustang Boss 302
There were four colors available for Mustang Boss 302 buyers in 1969:
- Acapulco Blue
- Wimbledon White
- Calypso Coral
- Bright Yellow
In case these striking hues didn’t tip off passersby that they were in the presence of something special, Ford also blacked out many elements of the Mustang’s presentation, including the tail panel (between and surrounding the taillights), the grille, the hood, and the decklid.
Black louvers and a rear spoiler were optional for the car, but full-length side stripes and BOSS 302 callouts were included with the package, as were its lowered ride height and 15-inch chrome Magnum 500 wheels. Another easy tell for the Boss 302 is the lack of side scoops, which were not available on fastback Mustangs.
For the 1970 model year, the stripes changed from C-shaped to hockey sticks (meeting up with a slimmer hood stripe), and the headlights were squeezed toward the inside of the grille (with vents taking their previous spot). If you had a little extra money to spend, a shaker hood scoop was also offered as an option, and color availability expanded to include almost everything in the Ford catalog.
Inside, the Boss 302 was largely similar to that of other Mustangs and could in fact be ordered with the standard interior available on base-model cars, with more deluxe options like a tachometer being popular add-on.
The design of the Boss 302 flowed almost entirely from the mind of famed designer Larry Shinoda, who handled not just its looks but also its mechanical details, as well as its name. Shinoda would refer to this version of the Mustang as “the Boss’ car,” as he’d been assigned to the project by Ford heavyweight Bunkie Knudsen, and eventually the company adopted it as the official moniker.
The 302 V-8 Made the Boss Mustang a Thoroughbred
Key to the entire Boss package was its 302-cubic-inch V-8. The engine borrowed its wedge-shaped head from the larger-displacement 351 Cleveland, punching out its intake and exhaust valves to allow for better breathing. It also featured a valvetrain that was capable of the kind of sustained high-rpm operation typically found on a racetrack. Solid lifters, stronger head studs, forged crank and rods, and high-compression pistons rounded out the package.
Supporting modifications aimed at improving durability were also outfitted to the car. These included improved cooling, a strengthened engine block, and even a very early electronic rev limiter to corral drivers who edged too close to the redline.
Boss 302 Engine Specifications
- Engine Type: V-8
- Displacement (cubic inches): 302
- Bore: 4 inches
- Stroke: 3 inches
- Carburetor: Holley 780-cfm 4-barrel (standard), Autolite 875-cfm 4-barrel (optional)
- Horsepower: 290 at 5,800 rpm
- Torque: 290 lb-ft
That works out to nearly 1 horsepower per cubic inch, which was an impressive feat for a small-block V-8. A four-speed manual gearbox was the only available transmission for the Boss 302, but there were three rear-gear ratios on offer (3.5:1, 3.91:1, and 4.30:1), along with locking and limited-slip differentials.
Acceleration stats for the Mustang Boss 302, from a 1970 MotorTrend road test:
- 0-60 mph: 8.1 seconds
- Quarter mile: 15.8 seconds at 90 mph
The Ford Mustang Boss 302 Handled Like a Sports Car
The Boss 302 wasn’t exactly the king of the stoplight grand prix, but there were other Mustangs available for drivers who were keen on drag racing. Instead, Knudsen demanded that the Ford Mustang Boss 302 be the “best-handling street car available on the American market,” which was a lot to ask from a model built on what amounted to an econo-car platform.
The smaller-displacement engine helped keep the weight of the Boss street version down to 3,417 pounds, but that was a substantial amount of mass to hustle around a corner—especially when considering that 56 percent of that hovered over the front axle (even with the battery relocated to the trunk). Ford’s answer was to beef up the Mustang’s sway bars, give it F60x15-inch tires (which required rolled fenders to avoid contact due to body movement), and add power disc front brakes. A rear sway bar arrived for the 1970 model year.
Quick-assist steering and the car’s overall lower stance also helped make it more controllable compared to similarly sized muscle cars of the time. To help out at higher speeds, a front spoiler under the bumper paired with the available rear spoiler.
Hauling the Boss 302 down from 60 mph took 112 feet, which was a respectable figure in the late 1960s. Despite being saddled with a live rear axle, the smaller engine had the benefit of reducing understeer through quick corners, and the car was remarkably composed even riding on the primitive tires of its era.
Boss 302 Race Results Took Some Time
The Ford Mustang Boss 302 hit the track for the 1969 SCCA Trans-Am season with a flourish, scoring four wins in the first five races in the “Over 2.0-liter” bracket, with now legendary drivers Parnelli Jones, George Follmer, and Sam Posey behind the wheel. That early success evaporated quickly, however, as Mark Donohue and Roger Penske’s Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 swept the winner’s spot on the podium for the rest of the season.
It was a different story in 1970. Having overcome the problems with tires and pit stops that had dragged them down the year before, the Boss 302 claimed the Trans-Am championship by winning more than half the races on the schedule (aided and abetted by the fact that Donohue and Penske had shifted to AMC to develop the company’s Javelin racing program). In 1971, Ford was officially out of Trans-Am, but a few private teams continued to campaign the Boss 302 and even managed a pair of wins despite the Donohue/Penske operation once again dominating and taking the overall title.
The Boss 302 Package Was Also Offered by Mercury—Sort Of
Mercury competed early on in Trans-Am racing with the Cougar but was one-and-done after the 1967 season. The Cougar, however, was based on the same bones as the Mustang, and this allowed the brand to offer the Boss 302 engine under the hood of its slightly larger coupe.
For 1969 and 1970, it was possible to snag Ford’s 302 V-8 in Mercury form by ordering the Cougar Eliminator package. Some of the same styling elements found on the Mustang made their way to the Eliminator, including spoilers front and rear, a hood scoop, and some striping. There were key changes, however: The Boss 302 engine was only one of four engine choices that could be had (although it did stay manual-only if it was ordered), and its suspension wasn’t nearly as sophisticated.
The Boss 302 Came Back, 40 Years Later
Ford came close to putting together a 1971 model year for the Boss 302 (going so far as to build a prototype), and there were of course Boss 429 big-block and Boss 351 small-block Mustangs that kept the name but dropped any pretense of Trans-Am parentage.
It wasn’t until 2012, however, that Ford took another stab at building a true sports car out of its muscle platform. The last gasp of the S197-generation Mustang got a fantastic send-off with an all-new Boss 302 that leveraged a long list of chassis upgrades to go with the mightiest version of the automaker’s 5.0-liter V-8 found outside of the Shelby shop.
Helping get the live-axle Boss 302 around a track were adjustable shocks, a larger rear sway bar, staggered 19-inch wheels and tires, and a half-inch suspension drop. Under the hood were 444 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque, and thanks to forged internals, new camshafts, heads, and intake valves (along with an intake borrowed from the 302R factory race car), the entire assembly was happiest when soaring toward its 7,500-rpm redline.
A six-speed manual was standard with the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, as were a limited-slip differential (with an optional Torsen unit on the order sheet). Ford also outfitted the car with side pipes, which could be uncapped by owners eager to enjoy a more aggressive soundtrack at full throttle.
For those interested in taking their Boss 302 to the track, Ford offered a pair of enticements. First, there was the red TracKey that, when used, reprogrammed the engine’s ECU for maximum performance without concern for emissions regulations, while also adding launch control. Then there was the Laguna Seca edition of the car, which made the Torsen diff standard, ditched the rear seats, added Recaro buckets up front, and further stiffened both the frame and the suspension setup.
In addition to its extroverted aero bits and sticker striping, the second-generation Boss 302 can also be identified by its special color palette, which included:
- Competition Orange
- Race Red
- Kona Blue
- Yellow Blaze Metallic Tri-Coat
- Black
- Ingot Silver
- Grabber Blue
- Gotta Have It Green
- Performance White
- School Bus Yellow
With a starting price of $40,995, the Ford Mustang Boss 302 continued on for the 2013 model year, enjoying the same 24 months of production as its predecessor.
Ford Mustang Boss 302 Current Market Value
- 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302: $39,300-$126,000
- 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302: $39,300-$132,00
- 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: $23,200-$48,700
- 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca: $29,800-$62,300
- 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302: $23,200-$48,700
- 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca: $29,800-$62,300
Ford Mustang Boss 302 Production Numbers
- 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302: 1,628
- 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302: 7.013
- 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: 3,250
- 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca: 767
- 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302: 3,553
- 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca: 765
