Right before the sun went down on the unbridled muscle car mayhem of the Sixties, Ford came out swinging with one of their most successful high performance models ever: The legendary 1969/70 Mustang Boss 302.
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Whereas the Boss 429 was made to destroy the competition on the dragstrip and at NASCAR, the Boss 302 was assigned special duty as a road racer to compete in the Trans Am series against Camaro Z/28s and Challenger T/As. The Boss' 5-liter engine was specially made to comply with homologation requirements and contained many trick parts needed to breathe freely and rev safely near redline for extended periods of time.
The result of all the effort: bright yellow, Bud Moore-prepped Boss 302s won the 1970 Trans Am Championship outright, with big-name drivers Parnelli Jones and George Follmer dominating the winners' circle.
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The amazingly preserved 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 presented here, VIN *0F02G110759* is one of circa 7,000 manufactured for street use. Built almost exactly 40 years ago, on October 6, 1969, at Ford's Dearborn plant, it was shipped brand new to California and remained in the Golden State all its life.
Still wearing its priceless, original issue, blue-and-gold California license plates, front and back, this two owner Boss has travelled a mere 50,778 actual miles during the past 40 years, just 1,250 miles annually, on average!
By now you might be dying to find out if it's a matching numbers Boss?
Yes, it is!
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The car's provenance is irrefutably documented not only via a MARTI report decoding the data plate and listing all the factory options, but also the carefully retrieved, well-preserved, original build sheet!
Unlike its sister car which sold at this year's Barrett-Jackson auction for $137,500.00, this unrestored original specimen came equipped with the ultra-desirable Shaker Hood Scoop right from the factory!
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Heart of the Boss 302, its amazing power plant, rests in a toothbrush clean engine compartment. With its 4-bolt main block and steel crank, to high-compression pistons, ported cylinder heads, aluminum intake and big HOLLEY 4-barrel carb, the engine delivers 290 brake horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque from a mere 302 cubic inches -- quite an achievement for the time, and liable to propel the Boss 302 from zero to sixty in under 6 seconds, with a 14-second quarter-mile time!
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Here's a close-up of the stamped numbers in the original front fenders.
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Though unrestored, this amazing survivor has remained in show-ready condition. The engine number matches; heads, intake, carburetor, and all the important parts are original. Naturally, the owner--fond of taking his 'Stang to track days at nearby Laguna Seca Raceway--performed a few upgrades in period, namely the installation of a set of headers and a different distributor, for the sake of drivability and to ensure top performance from his steed. However, they're all easily reversible and, luckily, the original distributor comes with the car. A few years ago, the engine was disassembled by a Ford specialist and freshened as needed, to factory specification; the car has been driven less than 800 miles since.
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Close-up of carburetor and valve cover.
Let's have a close look at the car's exterior now.
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Amazingly well preserved, 40-year-old coachwork. This Boss never needed a "rotisserie" restoration, let alone any kind of rust repair. The proverbial California Mustang, it's 100% rust free, with gorgeous, straight sheet metal and perfect door and hood gaps.
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Bright yellow finish, the original factory color, Ford code 3470-A, matches the 1970 Trans Am Challenge cars' livery. Finish is smooth and glossy, without any dings, chips, scratches, bubbles, or dents. Original reflective tape stripes usually appear black unless hit by strong light (or the flash of a camera).
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Boss is well-optioned. As per build sheet, door tag, and Marti Report, the car was manufactured with:
- Shaker Hood Scoop
- Front Spoiler
- Rear deck spoiler
- Sport Slats rear window louvers
- Black hood and side stripe
- MAGNUM 500 chrome wheels
- Tinted glass all around
- Decor Group
- 4-speed close ratio manual transmission
- Power steering and power front disc brakes
- Traction-Lok differential, 3.91:1 axle ratio
- AM Radio
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Magnum 500 wheels are in pristine condition. Tires all around are excellent, slightly oversized GOODYEAR Eagle STs of the dimension 245/60R15.
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Mustang's passenger compartment unmistakably conveys the austere ambiance of a true muscle car.
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Original steering wheel, minimalist gauges, and cozy woodgrain dominate the cockpit. Original dash pad is free of hairline cracks.
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Black front bucket seats look immaculate, displaying the stock combination of Clarion knit and Corinthian vinyls.
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Rear seats have not seen any use. Everything inside, from the headliner, carpeting, kick panels, door panels, and seat upholstery, to details like coat hooks and seat belts, presents itself like you'd expect on a low-mileage, adult-owned muscle car that's been pampered and garaged all its life.
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Ready for a test drive?
So are we, but let's have a peek at the car's trunk and undercarriage first.
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Trunk looks clean and dry. Inflatable spare is MIA.
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The underbelly of a true California car: dry, rust free, virtually virginal. No spray can artistry of any kind, no non-factory undercoating or "ziebarting." Previous owner installed dual Flowmaster mufflers.
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Original rocker panel--check the stamped numbers.
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Immaculate floor pans displaying factory primer, torque boxes, spot welds, and seams. You can't duplicate originality!
Notice subframe connectors.
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Monday, October 4 was a lovely fall day here in San Buenaventura. With temperatures in the 70s and blue skies, we fired up the Boss and headed to Chanel Islands, one of our favorite neighborhoods, which is just a few miles away from our downtown location.
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The car is not cold blooded at all. It starts instantly, idles with the typical fire-breathing 302 rumble, and as soon as you release the e-brake and slide the macho HURST shifter into first, you're ready to go.
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This Boss is a true pony on steroids! More fun than a dozen monkeys on mopeds, it runs, drives, shifts, steers, and stops fabulously, with no ill side effects, such as overheating or pinging. Enter the upper RPM range and the car accelerates fiercely, not unlike the Knott's Berry Farm Xcelerator thrill ride.
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Returning home, we are very impressed with the Boss 302's road manners. It's one muscle car whose chassis is able to keep up with all the wild horses under the hood, a real road racer, far superior to a mere street legal dragster.
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So much more fun than a "showroom restored" trailer queen, one of those sterile appliances that may be looked at, but not enjoyed on the open road for fear of getting it dirty and putting a few miles on the odometer, this well-optioned, rust free, low-mileage California Boss 302 affords its new owner the full experience of classic muscle car ownership; after all, they were built to be driven!
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Addendum:
We sold this '70 Boss 302 in November 2009.
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