The Mustang Boss 302 is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang originally produced by Ford in 1969 and 1970, alongside its more powerful sibling the Boss 429 Mustang. Ford revived the name for another two year production run in 2012 and 2013. It was produced for the Trans Am racing series.
Ford revived the Boss 302 nameplate for 2012. The standard 2011 Ford Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine is enhanced and was referred to within Ford’s development teams as the Road Runner engine. Upgrades include a forged rotating assembly, CNC ported heads, revised camshafts and a high flow “runners in the box” intake taken from the 302R racecar. It produces 450 PS (444 hp; 331 kW) @ 7400 rpm – 32 hp (24 kW) over the standard GT’s 412 hp (418 PS; 307 kW). The engine loses about 10 lb⋅ft (14 N⋅m) of torque at peak when compared to the standard GT. It is rated at 380 lb⋅ft (515 N⋅m) @ 4500 rpm and comes with a 6-speed MT-82 manual transmission. A solid rear axle with 3.73:1 differential uses carbon fiber plates in its limited slip differential or an optional Torsen differential. The quad exhaust system made up of two standard Mustang GT outlets and two side pipes that exit on either side of the rear crossover. The side pipes send the exhaust through metal “Attenuation” discs to create an extra growling exhaust sound. The discs are removable and include a spacer plate sized to match aftermarket exhaust dump valves.
The Boss 302 takes the Mustang GT’s suspension and adds higher-rate coil springs, stiffer bushings, and a larger diameter rear stabilizer bar. The body is lowered 11 mm (0.433 in) up front and just 1 mm (0.039 in) in the rear to give it a more raked stance designed to recall the original. The shock absorbers are adjustable at the shock tower by using a flat head screwdriver. The standard Mustang traction control system and electronic stability control programs have been altered with a new intermediate sport mode designed to allow for more flexibility on the track.
The aero package (i.e. spoilers, splitters, etc.) is almost entirely copied from the Boss 302R race car. The 19-inch black-alloy racing wheels are 9-inches wide up front and 9.5-inches out back and come fitted with 255/40-19 (front) and 285/35-19 (rear) Pirelli P-Zero tires.
Ford produced 2000 standard Boss 302 models within 764 Laguna Seca models for 2012 as well for 2013 (2000 total).
