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Cars in Taylor Swift Music VideosCool Car Find: 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302
Built for racing, the Ford Mustang Boss 302 quickly became a legend among car fans. This stellar example shows us why.Meet the New Boss
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 – carsforsale.com | Shop Ford Mustang Boss 302 on Carsforsale.com
One of the enduring attractions of muscle cars, beyond their speed, sound, and general tough guy aesthetic, is their often complex and arcane litany of special editions, homologation specials, and ultra rare one-offs. This is where car fandom ventures into car nerdom, where no obscure nugget of information is too esoteric or too pedantic to not lord over your fellow automotive aficionados. And few cars have been more rewarding in this regard than the Ford Mustang. The list of Mustang variants is long indeed, with each attracting a devoted subset of fans who will quote you chapter and verse as to why their personal favorite is the “best Mustang ever.”
Our Cool Car Find this time is a 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302. The short-lived Boss 302 and the Boss 429 were both created for racing, SCCA Trans Am and NASCAR, respectively. Because of their unique styling and engines, the original Boss Mustangs have become favorites among Mustang fans. As we will see below, there are good reasons for that.
Origins of the Boss 302
The Boss 302 Mustang was conceived as Ford’s answer to Chevrolet’s newfound dominance at SCCA Trans Am competition with their new Camaro. In the late 1960s, with the rise in the popularity of muscle cars, the old saw of “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” held true as ever. Demonstrated racing performance could drive sales for the company, and as a result, Ford was keen to keep the Mustang in the mix.
The Trans Am requirement limiting displacement to 305 cu-in is why the Boss 302 carried a 302-cu-in engine. The Boss has its own origin with the car’s designer Larry Shinoda. Shinoda was a recent hire from GM’s design team where he had worked on cars like the Impala, C2 Corvette, and the Corvair. Shinoda’s first project at Ford was a new homologation special under the auspices of fellow GM convert and newly minted Ford president Bunkie Knudsen. When asked what special project he was working on, Shinoda would reply, “the boss’ car.”
Shinoda gave the Boss 302 a distinctive look that emphasized its racing aspirations. Gone went the Mustang’s signature fake side vents. The pillar badging also took a hike. A rear spoiler and front air dam were added instead.
The Boss 302’s engine was, of course, a 302 cu-in OHV V8 built pairing Ford’s Winsor block with the larger Cleveland V8’s heads. The resulting output was listed by Ford as 290 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque, though many attest to the car delivering well over 300 horsepower.
The other thing the Boss 302 had over a stock Mustang was a revised suspension. Proper cornering, rather than straight line speed, would be critical for success in Trans Am racing, and so the Boss 302 was built to be the best handling Mustang ever before produced.
All the work Ford put into the Boss 302 paid off on race day. Though the Ford team fell short in 1969, they prevailed the following year in retaking the crown from their archrival, the Camaro Z/28. The Boss 302 was discontinued after 1970. A total of 1,628 cars were built for 1969 and another 7,014 for 1970. The sparse numbers, short run, and racing history contribute to the Boss 302’s collectability.
Our Cool Car Find
This 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 is finished in Grabber Blue with the signature matte black racing stripes. Ford had expanded color options for the 1970 model, from four colors in 1969 to 13 for 1970. The stripping itself changed between the two years as the “C” shaped decal was replaced by a “hockey stick” shaped decal.
Note in the interior the four-gauge instrument panel clothed in faux-wood paneling, color-matching interior trim and upholstery, and the Hurst shifter on the four-speed manual transmission. This Mustang rides on Magnum 500 wheels. Those wheels, incidentally, were the stock wheels on the 1969 Boss 302. The 1970 Boss 302 ran 15” by 7” steel wheels with hub caps (with 15 cars sent out with Sport wheel covers). Those 15/7s are not as appealing as the Magnum 500s. As a result, many 1970 Boss 302s have had their wheels switched for those of the prior year, like our example here.
Other year-over-year changes included the introduction of the optional shaker hood scoop intake, a new rear sway bar, and changes to the front facia and grille design, including the switch from dual to single headlights.
As we said at the outset, muscle car fans like their unique, limited run variants and this particular Boss 302 doesn’t disappoint. The seller notes that this is a true one-of-one car and has the details to prove it.
To quote from the dealer’s literature, (poetical stanzaic form and liberal use of capitalization, original):
Of the 191,522 1970 Mustangs 46,576 were Sportsroofs.
Of them, 7,104 came with the 302-4V Boss Engines.
4,607 of those had Close Ratio 4-speed Transmissions.
299 of them were Medium Blue Metallic, of which 17 had Blue Knit Vinyl Bucket Seats,
Of those 6 were equipped with 3.50 Traction-Lok Rear Axles.
4 of them came with Shaker Hood Scoops. Of these,
3 were produced with Tinted Glass.
1 of those had an AM Radio.
[VIN Withheld] is that Mustang.
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 – carsforsale.com | Shop Ford Mustang Boss 302 on Carsforsale.com
Pretty neat, huh? And for just under $100,000, this unique Boss 302 Mustang can be yours.
Where is this car (boss 302) for sale?? How do I get more info on cars I might be interested in?
Hello Gene,
That particular Boss 302 sold already. But you can click here to see other active listings for the Mustang Boss 302.
We highlight cars throughout the week in our Cool Car Finds articles which you can read here
Otherwise you can browse our complete listing of cars (both new and old) on carsforsale.com