Car: Ford Mustang Boss 302 Fastback Coupe
Year: 1970
What makes it special: For what amounted to a street-legal Trans-Am racer, the Boss 302 was an incredible value. Ford built 7,013 Boss 302 Mustang’s for 1970, with the quad headlamps of 1969 traded for double units flanked by fake air intakes, with the famed “Shaker” hood scoop available.
What made it famous: Ford’s Boss 302 was built as a Trans Am road-racing qualifier. Its heart was Ford’s 302 cid V8 treated to the high-performance, big-port cylinder heads being readied for the famous Cleveland 351. The Boss’s solid-lifter small-block used the biggest carb employed by Ford, a 780-cfm Holley 4-barrel, and was underrated at the same 290 bhp as Chevrolet Z28’s 302. A Hurst-shifted 4-speed and 3.50:1 gears were standard; 3.91:1 and Detroit Locker 4.30:1 cogs were optional. Racing inspired suspension modifications, Polyglas F60xl5s, and power front disc brakes were included. A front spoiler was fitted; a rear air foil and backlight blinds were optional. Blackout trim and stripes finished the look. Ford built 1,628 Boss 302s for ’69, then came back with 7,013 for ’70, when quad headlamps were traded for double units flanked by fake air intakes, a “shaker” hood scoop was made available.
Why I would want one: It had the look and feel of the famed Trans-Am racers you saw on racing on the road tracks of the world.
Fun fact: Ford was going to call their modified Mustang model “Trans-Am,” until Pontiac grabbed that name first for their hottest Firebird in 1969, so they settled on the “Boss 302” moniker.
