BOSS 302 HISTORY
The Ford Mustang isn’t just a car – it’s an American automotive icon.
And of the more than 9 million Mustangs sold to date over the five
different platform generations covering the past five decades, there is
arguably one high-performance model that stands above the rest in both
reverence and respect among enthusiasts, racers and collectors alike.
That’s the Boss302.
Many consider the 1969-70 model years to be the high-water mark of the
so-calledMuscle Car era.Semon E. “Bunkie” Knudsen was hired as
president in an effort to pump new blood into the Ford Motor Company
product pipeline.
Bunkie set out to secure Ford corporate bragging rights once and for all
with an all-new racing-inspired Mustang model. Knudsen wanted a
Mustang race car to champion a hot, new Ford small-block V-8 that could
power a competitive entry in the Trans Am road racing series. So he
tagged designer Larry Shinoda with the task of designing what a
production version of the new race car should look like.
Knudsen had ordered that his new road-racing Mustang not only be
powerful, but also that it should be “absolutely the best-handling street
car available on the American market.” Shinoda came up with racy looks
for the new Mustangs that he was designing forthe boss– which was
how he referred to Knudsen. Both the styling ofthe Boss’ car,and the
name, stuck.
Enter the 1969Boss302built to compete in the performance car
arena. The Boss302 was built so that Ford could go out and win in
Trans Am racing. Shinoda’s design for the Boss302 included front and
rear spoilers, racy side stripes, a matte-black hood and even rear window
louvers – but it was performance that really helped sell the cars.
The Boss302 dazzled the enthusiast press, established a new level of
interest in Ford performance, and became a force to be reckoned with
on the racetrack. The Boss302 was edged out of winning the 1969
Trans Am racing series in the car’s inaugural season. But Parnelli Jones
and George Follmer piloted their Boss302 Mustangs to the victory
circle more than any other team in the hotly contested 1970 campaign,
giving Ford the manufacturer’s championship, all while the road going
versions were buildingstreet cred.
Introduction
4
2013 05+ Mustang(197)
Supplement, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
