Forty-two years ago, Ford took aim at one of America’s classic motorsports competitions—the SCCA’s Trans Am series—with a Mustang designed specifically to leave its muscle-car rivals in the dust and is now available at Loveland Ford. And because the rules of the game required the Blue Oval to sell a production version of its racer before it took to the track, the amazing Mustang Boss 302 was born.
Fast forward four decades and more, and Ford is at it again: The company has announced the debut of the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, the quickest, best-handling straight-production Mustang to ever leave the factory.
“The team at Ford wanted to offer their fellow Mustang enthusiasts something really special—a beautifully balanced factory-built race car that they could drive on the street,” explained Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. “The Boss 302 isn’t something a Mustang GT owner can buy all the parts for out of a catalog or that a tuner can get by adding a chip. This is a front-to-back re-engineered Mustang with every system designed to make a good driver great and a great driver even better.” You can drive one to see how well it improves your road race skills at San Diego Ford.
The heart of the matter here is the powerful 5.0-liter V8 that drives the Mustang GT. That engine already boasted some serious specs, but it received a big-time promotion for the new Boss. An impressive new intake, revised camshafts and a recalibrated control system ups the ante all the way to 440 hp and 380 lb.-ft. of torque, and the mill gets hooked up to a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission with a race-inspired clutch. Also notable: A limited-slip differential boasting carbon fiber plates to better handle all that torque. And speaking of twist, there’s an available torque-sensing Torsen limited slip diff that gives drivers even more precise control over all that power.
Enhancing that control even further is a suspension that’s been extensively upgraded with higher-rate coil springs, stiffer bushings and a thicker rear stabilizer bar. But that’s just for starters.
“We’ve given drivers five settings for their shocks,” said Brent Clark, supervisor of the Mustang vehicle dynamics team. “One is the softest, two is the factory setting and five is the firmest, and we’ve provided a wide range of adjustment. A customer can drive to the track on setting two, crank it up to five for improved response on the track, then dial down to one for a more relaxed ride home. What’s unique is that drivers will find—thanks to the way the suspension works as a complete system—the softest setting isn’t too loose and the firmest setting isn’t too controlled; each step just provides additional levels of control.”
And if all that’s not enough, Ford will also release a limited run of special Boss 302 Laguna Seca models. Check Reading Ford for availability of these special edition Mustangs. These track-ready rockets delete non-essentials like the Mustang’s back seat and add in enough go-fast goodies to appropriately honor the Boss 302 that Parnelli Jones drove to a Trans Am victory at Laguna Seca in 1970.
Uncoincidentally, Laguna Seca lap times were a benchmark this time around, too, with Ford setting out to ensure the 2012 Boss 302 could outrun a current BMW M3 on that challenging course. The understated outcome according to Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president for Global Products Development: “We met our expectations.”
To find out how the new Boss can exceed yours, be sure to talk to your local Ford dealer today.
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