A Bright Yellow, numbers matching, unrestored, and intact Ford Mustang Boss 302 is a mouth-watering Christmas present for any three-to-one-hundred-and-three-year-old gear head. Since I very much fit the age range, here is one such pony from 1970.
Quick facts: the car is original (and the photo gallery is solid proof of that), the numbers on the drivetrain are in perfect harmony, the paint is splendid, and so is the bodywork. No visible rust anywhere – and the seller has gone to extensive lengths to document the rust-freedom in photographic evidence – means the car lived a good life.
Also, to back this statement, the interior is something that almost demands sobriety and impeccable behavior when getting inside the car. The video at the bottom shows a showroom-quality condition for the all-black cockpit.
The Hurst shifter, firmly planted on the floor and going to the four-speed manual, was standard for the 1970 models sporting the Boss 302 HO engine. Which, by the way, covered 64k miles since it left the factory, but it sounds godly (listen to the unmistakable growl of the solid-lifter V8 high-performance).
Out of the 7,013 built, just 1,454 Boss 302s left the factory in Bright Yellow for the 1970-model year. The car starring here features the iconic hockey stick stripes – proudly advocating the 302 decals on the sides – and the optional black horizontal rear window shades. No blackout hood to accompany the flat black shaker scoop, though.
This model, the Boss 302, was the TransAm production-homologation run from Dearborn, and it came about to beat the likes of ‘Cuda AAR, Challenger, and Z28 Camaro. To do this, the Boss 302s went in guns blazing from the 302 ci (4.9 liters) high-output engine, yielding 290 hp at 5,200 RPM and a peak torque of 290 lb-ft (393 Nm) at 4,300 RPM.
Thanks to its solid-lifter design, the 6,250 red-line limit equaled a 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) time of 6.9 seconds. At the quarter-mile mark, it would blast at 98 mph (158 kph).
The then-new Boss 302 engine had oversized valves to breathe in as much air as possible. Performance was the primary goal, so the Mustang’s valves were larger than some of its contemporary 400 ci (6.5 liters) engines. The special-design Ford Mustang (one of Larry Shinoda’s favorites) received front and rear spoilers to aid track performance.
The car rode closer to the ground for that exact purpose, with front disc brakes and larger sway bars. Heavy-duty spindles and reinforced shock towers held the Boss 302 firm on its tracks.
Today, all that pony performance amounts to $124,900 for this example. Fifty-two years ago, the price tag for a brand-new Ford Mustang Boss 302 was $ 3072. Adjusting the half-century inflation, that is $28,405.84 in 2022.
This “highly original and unmolested Boss 302” is a true unrestored survivor, which comes with the original fuel pump disassembled. Also notable in the photos, the dual exhaust system needs to be installed, as it was taken down for a detailing job of the undercarriage.