Put down your J.C. Whitney catalog and have a look what’s coming soon from Ford Racing. The 2016 Ford Mustang Boss 302S! At least that’s my best guess after seeing the recent addition to the Ford Racing performance parts catalog. Even though Ford has not revealed official naming and information is severely limited, the brief description does say that a factory-built, road-racing Mustang->ke428 will be available during the first quarter of 2016 with a starting price of $89,995, which is considerably lower than the $70,000 price that the Shelby GT350R (shown above) is expected to go for.
The part number alone – M-FR500-B302S – might be the biggest tell about this ready-to-race Mustang that just so happens to be the same part number used for the 2014 Ford Racing Boss 302S. Unlike the street-legal Boss 302 and Boss 302 Laguna Seca models, the Ford Racing Boss 302S will be designed for off-road use (read: track use) only with a serial number instead of a conventional car’s VIN. The description for this car promises “Ford Racing road race Mustangs are factory-built race cars, ready for track days and road racing in a number of SCCA and NASA classes.”
Like the previous Boss 302S (as well as the Mustang Cobra Jet drag racer), this track-prepped Mustang will roll off the same assembly line as the standard 2015 Ford Mustang in Flat Rock, MI. Ford has not announced specs for its new racecar, but its predecessor was fitted with racing equipment such as a six-point roll cage, racing suspension, racing brakes, adjustable front splitter and rear wing and a 5.0-liter V-8 under the hood.
If you’re in the market for the ultimate road-racing sixth-gen Mustang, you might want to call your Ford dealer now. Ford is currently allowing “Placeholder Orders,” but it isn’t saying what type of allocation or availability it is planning for this car.
Click past the jump to read more about Ford's future road-racing Mustang.
Why it matters
The 2016 Shelby GT350 and GT350R might be the ultimate street-legal Mustangs, but if you’re looking to dominate the track in real racing situations, then you might want to wait for the 2016 Ford Mustang Boss 302S… if that’s what it ends up being called. In previous years, the Boss 302S has been a package that turns a standard Mustang into a track shredding, competition-ready beast, and while there is no information about this new Ford Racing part number (aside from a brief description and an initial price tag), I’m fairly confident the return of the Boss is imminent.