Boss 302 Mustang at the Barrett-Jackson
When Ford Motor Company set out to win the SCCA Trans Am Racing Series, they pulled out all the stops to build what would be called the Boss 302 Mustang. For one year, 1970, the Boss 302 Mustang dominated that series. That year Parnelli Jones, the race car driver, and the Boss 302 Mustang together became racing legends.
This week, MS Classic Cars out of Seekonk, Massachusetts began promoting their entry into the upcoming Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale Arizona. They listed a Calypso Coral 1970 Boss 302 Mustang in our Cars-On-Line Mustang Section this week. (You can read their ad and view photos here at this link.) It will be one of the top cars we will be watching as the Barrett-Jackson commands the attention of the collector car community during January 2022.
This 1970 Boss 302 Mustang underwent a complete concours quality, nut and bolt restoration in 2010 and has been improved on over the years for judging purposes. It only has 300 miles since completion because it is trailered most of the time. They tell us that the totally rust-free body is laser straight with excellent gaps throughout. The decision was made during the restoration to change the less desirable original Medium Lime Metallic color to the very desirable Calypso Coral. They say the paint is show quality throughout. The Boss 302 blackout treatment and correct stripes were applied. The rear window slats, rear spoiler and Magnum 500 wheels were added to the car during the restoration.
The gorgeous interior is in beautiful condition throughout including the original console. It’s equipped with an original Rimblow steering wheel and Hurst 4-speed shifter that were both reconditioned. All the original seat belts and shoulder harnesses were also reconditioned and re-tagged with date-coded labels.
According to the promo information, the car is powered by its original matching numbers Boss 302 V8 engine. The engine was completely rebuilt and runs excellent. All the correct Boss 302 equipment is in place including the original shaker assembly with snorkel and heatshield, exhaust manifolds, aluminum valve covers, rev limiter, NOS Z-bar, Autolite alternator, dual diaphragm distributor, pulleys and complete smog equipment. The engine is coupled to a 4-speed manual transmission that shifts very smoothly. A new correct driveshaft, an original complete Drag Pak oil cooler assembly and 3.91 rear end gears were added.
When you click this link to the ad photos you will note that the undercarriage is highly detailed throughout with many correct parts. The floors were finished in the correct red oxide color with proper overspray. You can see the factory stickers and paint marks in the correct locations just as they were when it rolled off the assembly line.
The original Ford Invoice, Deluxe Marti Report and awards are included with the sale. You can see a copy of the Marti Report here.
Some Boss 302 Mustang History
Ford designer Larry Shinoda penned the Boss 302 Mustang. He was the one who named it the “Boss.” For 1969, the first Boss came out with a re-designed suspenion purpose built for racing. In addition to a lower ride height, standard equipment included front disc brakes, larger sway bars, heavier duty spindles and a braced shock tower.
Ford needed a small block racing engine which would fit the SCCA Trans Am Series rules limiting displacement to 305 ci. Thus, a unique Ford small-block engine was engineered featuring a thin-wall, high nickel content block casting which made the block much stronger. It used 4-bolt mains and heavy duty main caps. The heads were copied from the new 351 Cleveland big block which Ford would come out with for the Mach 1. It used a canted valve design for better performance. The solid-lifter Boss 302 V8 had the free-breathing Cleveland heads with longer rods and the Cleveland pistons. Huge valves (larger than most engines) were more than a third larger in displacement. It had a hotter cam and a 780 cfm carburetor. This “G Code” engine was rated at 290 horsepower at 4300 rpm.
The Boss 302 was a balanced racing specimon. They said a 1970 Boss 302 would go from 0 to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds, and could do the quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds at 98 miles per hour.
The SCCA Trans-Am series was popular in the late 1960s, especially after the birth of the “pony car.” A type of “stock-car” racing usually held on road courses, the series limited maximum engine displacement to 5 liters, or 305 cubic inches. Like other automotive manufacturers at the time, Ford produced the Mustang in road and track trim as the Boss 302. The Boss 302 program was part of an effort by the Ford Motor Company to win the coveted SCCA Trans-Am Championship in 1970. Boss 302’s direct competition in the 1970 series were the AAR Cudas, the Pontiac Firebird, the Team Chaparral Camaros, and the Penske AMC Javelins. With Bud Moore in charge of the Mustang racing effort, they won the SCCA Championship and Parnelli Jones was the top Championship driver.
Ford built 1,628 Boss 302 Mustangs for 1969, and then upped production to 7,014 in 1970.
