Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca
By OR Staff, Photography courtesy of Ford
The Ford Mustang isn’t always the first car that comes to mind when you imagine a stripped down, road course ready factory special. Most gearheads go for the BMW M3, Dodge Viper, or Porsche GT3 first – can’t blame them.
The quintessential American pony car has seen road racing and even rally use over the years but it’s reputation to the general public remains rooted in the drag strip and on the street. Ford has decided to change all that wit the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302.
Debuted to coincide with the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (i.e. Historics) at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the Ford Mustang Boss 302 attempts to connect the latest Mustang with the history of the Boss 302. You know, the one that Parnelli Jones used to win the 1970 Trans-Am race at Laguna Seca.
Based on the V8-powered Mustang GT, the recipe for the Boss 302 starts with a 302 cubic-inch displacement (duh) 5-liter V8 that pushes 440hp and 380 lb/ft of torque- 28hp more than a regular GT. Hotter camshafts and a Boss 302-emblazoned intake manifold are responsible for the power increase.
Ford then drops in a tougher clutch to the six-speed and beefs up the suspension to match new 19-inch wheels and tires. A Torsen limited-slip differential and Recaro seats are optional.
For all the Mustang-hungry collectors, stock-class autocrossers, and showroom stock road racers, Ford also announced the launch of the Boss 302 Laguna Seca. Using the Boss 302 as a base, Ford goes even more hardcore by tossing the back seat, making the Recaro seats standard, covering the steering wheel in alcantara (911 GT3-style), stiffening the springs, using standard r-compound race tires, and adding in legitimate racing pieces like brake ducts and a huge front splitter.
“The Laguna Seca front splitter is really a Ford Racing piece we’ve lightly adapted for our purposes,” explains David Pericak, Ford Mustang chief engineer. “It’s been tested and refined for the last six months on the Boss 302R to perform exactly as required on the track; we just made a few changes so it could be adapted to the production Boss – though owners will still want to avoid speed bumps and parking blocks. The rear stabilizer bar is the largest we’ve ever installed on a production Mustang – including any SVT product. The rear spring rate was also maximized to work with the massive rear tires and balance the car for minimal lap times.”
That’s when you know you’re buying a hardcore factory car – when it comes with disclaimers and warnings. There’s no wet weather traction, curb clearance, comfort, and your steering wheel will get nasty from the natural oils in your filthy paws. But the Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca sounds like a step in the right direction to us. We’ll see how the car and its street-legal track preparations stack up once the car is released but Ford has fired the first shot in the new age of Trans-Am road racing battles. When’s the Chevy Camaro version coming out?
