Boss-spec Mustangs were born in the crucible of competition, with the Boss 302 model designed to dominate on the race track, as well as the street. Ford pulled the trigger on these cars in order to satisfy Trans Am Series rules, and to this day they remain somewhat rare.
If you’re going to buy a late first-gen Boss 302 Mustang, you should probably look for a 1969 model year variant first, before switching your focus to the 1970MY option. Why? It’s the better-looking of the two, by consensus. Otherwise, you should be happy with either one.
Do keep in mind that 1970 model year Mustangs were restyled to feature a less aggressive exterior, reverting to a single headlight design on each side of the grille. They also removed the fender scoops and flattened the taillight panel. Ford thought the bold nature of the 1969 car’s styling was to blame for a drop in sales, but ultimately, the 1969 Mustang sold better than its successor, which shows that sometimes carmakers tend to overreact.
As far as we’re concerned, we love all late first-gen Mustangs, even though we still have our preferences. Take this 1970 Boss 302 for example – it's up for grabs to the highest bidder and according to the ad, it has remained in the state of California since new. Wouldn’t you just love to show it some Nevada or Arizona asphalt? It’ll cost you a pretty penny though.
This is a gorgeous car, albeit maybe a bit too...bright? It’s got an orange exterior (it left the factory wearing Calypso Coral), to go with the black hockey side stripes, Boss 302 badging, front and rear spoilers, dual side mirrors, rear window louvers, dual exhaust outlets, plus a set of Magnum 500-style 15-inch wheels with raised-letter Goodyear Polyglas GT F60-15 tires. It also comes with power-assisted front discs and rear drums.
Inside, highlights include the red vinyl front bucket seats and rear bench, black carpets, a push-button AM radio, a heater, and a Hurst T-handle shifter, which just looks cool as hell. Gotta love those shifters.
Photo: Bring a Trailer
As for what’s going on underneath the hood, as expected this comes with Ford’s 302 ci V8 unit, factory rated at 290 horsepower. The engine is mated to a four-speed manual gearbox, sending those 290 horses to the rear wheels with the help of a Traction-Lok differential.
There are still two whole days left to bid on this car, but already you’ll need to pull more than $62,000 out of your pocket if you hope to park this baby in your driveway. The only thing that would hold me back is that flamboyant red vinyl interior, although the upholstery can be changed to black vinyl pretty easily. All you need is a good pair of hands.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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