2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Has Been Distilled to Its Purest Form

The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 may carry the namesake of Ford’s legendary 1969 competition car, and it might work a treat on racetracks, but Ford has made sure the new Ford Mustang Boss 302 is an honest-to-Detroit everyday proposition, not just a weekend warrior for waxing overconfident BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG pree-ners.

Building on the spirit of the 1969 Mustang Boss 302 – one of the most sought-after examples of American performance in the world – the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 has been distilled to its purest form.Every Mustang Boss 302 component has been examined, each system strengthened, lightened and refined.

The result is the Mustang Boss 302, a street-legal race car destined to be America’s next performance legend. According to the company, the car is the “quickest, best-handling straight-production Mustang ever offered by Ford.Ford Mustang Boss 302 pays homage to its track-star forebears by lightening and strengthening key components, juicing up the engine, and wrapping it all in the vintage color schemes that Boss Mustangs are known for still today.

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302-frontside-black

There was never going to be a problem with power in the 2012 Mustang Boss engine, the 412-horsepower 5.0-liter engine in the Mustang GT is a corker on its own, but Ford has gone to a lot of trouble to extract 444 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque for this 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302.

They could’ve simply bolted on a blower and called it a day, but in order to maximize reliability and stay true to the legacy of the original Boss, natural aspiration was called for the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302. To that end, the 5.0-liter has been treated to CNC-machined aluminum heads, special pistons and sinter-forged con rods, sodium-filled exhaust valves and an up rated crankshaft.Other key changes in the car include a 3.73 final drive ratio, reworked 1.0g-approved oil pan; a composite short-run intake and a unique quad-outlet exhaust system.

Aerodynamic changes in the Ford Mustang Boss 302 include a deeper front air dam and a rear spoiler. Not accidentally, the car changes stylistically connect the Ford2012BossMustang to its predecessor, right down to the livery, including Competition Orange, Performance White, Kona Blue, Yellow Blaze, or Race Red.

These are offset by white or black C-stripes and a matching roof. Inside, however, the car couldn’t be less like the original—today’s UPS trucks come with more creature comforts than most track-oriented muscle cars from the late 1960s. The new Mustang Boss 302 models receive an Alcantara-covered steering wheel, dark metallic dash and door panels, a black shift knob, and cloth seats with “suede-like” center inserts.

The Changes 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302

In the Ford Mustang Boss 302, there’s no stereo upgrade, no Sync multimedia system, no navigation. That’s because Boss buyers only care about what’s under the Ford Mustang Boss 302 hood and under their backsides.The car is a pure performance machine that may be the best version of the classic car, and the 2012 Boss 302 options comes topped with a wicked custom paint job.

The 2012 Mustang Boss 302 stats amid a wide array of 2012 Mustang trim levels, including the base V6 that starts at $22,310, the 5.0-liter V-8 GT model that starts at $29,310, and the top-of-the-line supercharged V-8 Shelby GT500, which runs $48,810. The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 starts at $40,310, falling between the GT and Shelby but so impressive that the GT500 seems like overkill.

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: First Test