Ford_News
02-24-2011, 10:01 AM
Filed under: Coupe (http://www.autoblog.com/category/coupes/), Performance (http://www.autoblog.com/category/sports/), Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/), First Drive (http://www.autoblog.com/category/driving/)
America's Answer To The BMW M3
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/10-ford-mustang-boss-302-opt.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive)
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 - Click above for high-res image gallery
The Trans-Am series of the late 1960s and early 1970s could be considered the golden era of American motorsports. Not only did it showcase the most desirable American cars of the time, but it featured some of the greatest racing drivers of all time engaging in this country's own brand of fender-banging racing.
It's why Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/make/ford/) is so proud of the Boss 302, winner of the 1970 Trans-Am season with legendary driver Parnelli Jones behind the wheel, and why the street car has become a legend. But ask Jim Farley, Ford's head honcho of marketing, about the 2012 Mustang Boss 302, and he will tell you that it's not just about building a remake of the original. "This is not a nostalgia project," he told us. "This is not in any way trying to bring back the Boss. This project is so much more than that. If we wanted to do that we could take a 5.0-liter, put some stripes and spoilers and other upgrades on it and that would be it. It was not a means to an end. The Boss 302 was originally a means to an end. It was a production car to go racing. This is a completely different project. We were not going to do this project unless we could beat an M3 (http://www.autoblog.com/model/m3) at this track." This track being the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
With Bavaria's best sportscar in it sights, did Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/make/ford/) achieve its goal of building a modern day legend, or is the 2012 Boss 302 simply another one of the infinite variations of the Ford Mustang (http://www.autoblog.com/model/mustang)? Ford invited us out to Monterey for a full day with the car, including some track time at Laguna Seca, the course it was designed to conquer, and we have the answer.
Continue reading First Drive: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302... (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/#continued)
Gallery: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: First Drive (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/01-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/02-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/03-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/04-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/05-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)
Gallery: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca: First Drive (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/01-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/02-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/03-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/04-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/05-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)
Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips (http://www.drewphillipsphotography.com) / AOLContinue reading First Drive: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/)
First Drive: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19857461/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/)
America's Answer To The BMW M3
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/10-ford-mustang-boss-302-opt.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive)
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 - Click above for high-res image gallery
The Trans-Am series of the late 1960s and early 1970s could be considered the golden era of American motorsports. Not only did it showcase the most desirable American cars of the time, but it featured some of the greatest racing drivers of all time engaging in this country's own brand of fender-banging racing.
It's why Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/make/ford/) is so proud of the Boss 302, winner of the 1970 Trans-Am season with legendary driver Parnelli Jones behind the wheel, and why the street car has become a legend. But ask Jim Farley, Ford's head honcho of marketing, about the 2012 Mustang Boss 302, and he will tell you that it's not just about building a remake of the original. "This is not a nostalgia project," he told us. "This is not in any way trying to bring back the Boss. This project is so much more than that. If we wanted to do that we could take a 5.0-liter, put some stripes and spoilers and other upgrades on it and that would be it. It was not a means to an end. The Boss 302 was originally a means to an end. It was a production car to go racing. This is a completely different project. We were not going to do this project unless we could beat an M3 (http://www.autoblog.com/model/m3) at this track." This track being the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
With Bavaria's best sportscar in it sights, did Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/make/ford/) achieve its goal of building a modern day legend, or is the 2012 Boss 302 simply another one of the infinite variations of the Ford Mustang (http://www.autoblog.com/model/mustang)? Ford invited us out to Monterey for a full day with the car, including some track time at Laguna Seca, the course it was designed to conquer, and we have the answer.
Continue reading First Drive: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302... (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/#continued)
Gallery: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: First Drive (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/01-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/02-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/03-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/04-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/05-ford-mustang-boss-302_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-drive/)
Gallery: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca: First Drive (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/01-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/02-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/03-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/04-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/02/05-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive/)
Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips (http://www.drewphillipsphotography.com) / AOLContinue reading First Drive: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/)
First Drive: 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19857461/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/24/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-laguna-seca-first-drive-review/)