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1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302

Success at the race track was integral to success in the showroom - 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.' Ford had proven they could win at all levels of competition, including the international stage with victories at Le Mans and other FIA World Sportscar Championship. They had victories at the Indianapolis 500, in Formula One with the Ford Cosworth DFV engine, and they continued pursuit of victories in the USAC National Championship. During the 1950s, Ford's motorsport focus was on NASCAR and NHRA drag racing. This soon changed with the introduction of the 'Trans-Am Series' by the Sports Car Club of America.

The Ford Mustang Boss 302 was built for only two years to homologate the car for this new series. It was a limited-production, high-performance model designed around homologation requirements that limited engine displacement to 305 cubic inches. Ford's 302 had a thin-wall, high nickel content block casting with 4-bolt mains, screw-in freeze plugs, and heads using a canted valve design that was being developed for the planned 351 CID Cleveland engine. Other modifications included a competition suspension, lower ride height, front disc brakes, larger sway bars, heavier duty spindles, close-ratio four-speed, and reinforced shock towers.

Initially, the suspension development had been largely ignored until former GM men 'Bunkie' Knudsen and designer Larry Shinoda, of Corvette Sting Ray fame, was brought on board. Under their leadership, handling and aerodynamic improvements were championed. Several body style modifications and add-ons proposed for the Boss were replaced with a flat black hood and stripes, plus front and rear spoilers. A quick 16:1 steering gear was added, along with a 9-inch rear end with three final-drive choices and 31-spline axles. The heavy-duty competition-type underpinnings included staggered rear shocks to control axle wind-up

The Boss 302 was successful on the showroom floor and on the race track. 8,252 were built in total for 1969 and 1970, including 6,318 for 1970. Unlike its big brother, the Boss 429 whose only option was a choice of color, the Boss 302 was available with a plethora of options.

On the track, the Trans-Am series was very popular and featured Challengers, 'Cudas, cougars, Camaros, and Mustangs. Drivers included legendary motorsports names such as Roger Penske, Mark Donohue, Dan Gurney, George Follmer, and Parnelli Jones.

Ford struggled during the 1968 season as they tried to make the Tunnel Port 302 racing engine perform. The Sunoco-sponsored Roger Penske/Mark Donohue Chevy Camaro Z/28 took the Trans-Am title for 1968. For the following season, Ford was able to comply with the Group 2 FIA rules and the 500-car annual production requirement to homologate the new 302 V8 for racing. Boss 302s destined for the track were built by Kar Kraft in Brighton, Michigan, and campaigned by teams fielded by Bud Moore and Shelby in 1969 with only Bud Moore entries for 1970. Again, the Trans-Am championship proved elusive for the Boss 302 in 1969, with Penske's Camaro/Mark Donohue combination taking the title again that year for Chevrolet

For 1970, the Bud Moore team prepared Ford Mustang Boss 302 driven by Parnelli Jones won the Trans-Am Championship.

In preparation for the 1971 season, Kar Kraft provided four additional 'bodies in white' to Bud Moore Engineering, identified as 1-1971 through 4-1971. Bud Moore christened these cars BMW nos. 1-4. As the 1971 season approached, the Ford Motor Company discontinued support for the Trans Am program. As such, Bud Moore Engineering ran a shortened schedule, using just two of the four 'bodies in white' that had been provided and leaving a third in reserve as a backup car.

With an impressive roster of top-notch drivers, and with a number of teams being supported by Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, and American Motors, the Trans-Am series was among the most memorable period of racing in North American motorsport history.


by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2020

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