The Ford Mustang Boss 302 needs no introduction. It has etched its name in the history books, and 50+ years later, it is still a sought-after car. Mecum Auctions has one 1970 fastback example come up on its website, and it is the closest thing to perfection. This Boss 302 is finished in a Lime Metallic shade and is expected to fetch a six-digit price. Are you interested?

Rad Lime Shade, But It's Still Droolworthy

This 1970 example is finished in a medium Lime Metallic exterior shade with a black interior. There are black accents on the hood and black sport slats complementing them. Even the front and rear spoilers are finished in black. It rides on Magnum 500 wheels shod in BF Goodrich Radial A/T tires. Ford has built just 752 cars in this shade.

The interior is done in black and it goes very well with the car’s exterior. You get high-back vinyl bucket seats. You even get an AM radio and a period-correct Hurst T-handle shifter.

The 302 in the name is a reference to the engine – 302 cubic-inch, which is 4.9 liters. This V-8 mill puts out 290 horses. The engine was mated to a four-speed manual gearbox and this was the only transmission offered. The close-ratio gearbox was the only option so that the car stayed in its rev range almost always. This small-block V-8 was loaded with a forged crank, windage tray, and solid lifters that were comfortable even above 7,000 revs.

In this particular example, the suspension has been revised to integrate a rear sway bar and the shock towers have been reinforced with steel plates. A unique power steering system was calibrated to improve the feedback when driving it hard on the track. Also, the car features a 3.50 Traction Lock to bite hard when carving out the corners.

The Mustang Boss 302 Is An Icon

The Boss 302 was built alongside the Boss 429. The former was produced for the SCCA’s Trans-Am racing series whereas the latter to fulfill Ford’s need to homologate the 429 V-8 for the NASCAR series. The SCCA homologation guidelines stated that an engine can’t displace more than 305 cubic-inch, hence, the 302. On some levels, it was also to take on the heat from the then-newly launched Camaro. Ford had developed the engine to counter the Camaro, which took the lead in the 1967 Trans-Am racing. The Camaro, with its small and big block V-8s, was a little too much for the Mustang 289 and 390.

The Boss 302 was designed by Larry Shinoda, who worked with GM earlier. No wonder the rivalry, which is pretty strong even today, has been so personal. Larry termed it the ‘Boss’ as an ode to Semon Knudson, Ford’s president at that time. Since it was a secret project, when asked what Shinoda was working on, he said the boss’ car. The boss was also the person responsible for making Shinoda jump the ship from GM to Ford after he himself made the switch to the Blue Oval.

The Mustang Boss 302 came with a reflective c-stripe and a rear deck wing, and was also one of the first production models to feature a front spoiler. The fake air scoops on the rear fenders that were seen on the regular 1969 Mustangs were eliminated on the Boss 302. As options, you could get a black horizontal rear window shade and a blackout hood.

While the 302 and the bigger 429 were iconic in their own ways, not many people know that the 429 had almost become a mid-engined car. It suffered from weight-distribution issues and one of the solutions was to plonk the big V-8 at the back. In fact, even a new sub-frame was built to try this out. However, it didn’t work out. The weight distribution went from 60/40 to 40/60 in this configuration. But, I digress. We’ll keep that for another day.

Conclusion

Ford performance cars from the last century have always been a favorite with the collectors, and the Boss 302 is no exception. This particular example is up for sale on Mecum and is expected to fetch between $110,000 and $130,000. We won’t be surprised if this is breached by the time the auction ends on May 21.