World Of Cars 101

Not much around Ford counts as sacred, but the name "Boss 302" may well be. There have been Mustang Mach 1s that didn't come with V8s, Mustang Cobras that only had 120 horsepower aboard, and the company even sold a "GT350" during the 1984 model year that wasn't much more than some tape stripes. But Ford hasn't used the name Boss 302 since way back in 1970 when the original left production. And Ford hasn't built a Boss Mustang of any sort since the 1971 Boss 351. Until, that is, the all-new 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302.
Built around a fortified version of the Mustang GT's new 5.0-liter DOHC 32-valve V8 that can twist and shout all the way to 7,500 rpm and knock out 440 hp, the revived Boss 302 seems a more-than-worthy successor to its namesake. The new 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 will be (by factory rating) the most powerful Mustang Ford has ever sold without forced induction.
With an engine like that, the old Boss 302 is lucky to be mentioned in the same naturally aspirated breath as the new one.
Racing Back in the Day
The reason there was a Boss 302 back then is racing. And the reason (but surely not the only reason) there's a new Boss 302 today is racing. This time, however, Ford isn't playing catch-up.


In order to compete effectively in the SCCA's Trans Am road racing series, in 1967 Chevrolet had created the Camaro Z/28 and its high-revving, short-stroke "DZ302" 302-cubic-inch (5.0-liter) small-block V8. In the hands of team owner Roger Penske and under the whip of driver Mark Donohue, the Z/28 won three of the 12 Trans Am races run during 1967. Then during 1968, in one of the most dominant professional road racing performances ever, Penske and Donohue won an incredible 10 of the 13 races, including an unfathomable eight in a row.
The Boss 302 was engineered specifically as a response to the ludicrously successful Z/28 and as a way of rearming Ford teams competing in Trans Am. And the essential element of the Boss 302 car was the Boss 302 V8 engine.
Combining a fortified "Windsor" block with the relatively free-breathing cylinder heads from the then-new "Cleveland" 351-cubic-inch V8 was the major trick of the Boss 302. Throw in some solid lifters for precise (and loud) activation of the oversize valves, a sewer pipe-size four-barrel carburetor and the result was a 302-cubic-inch engine underrated at 290 hp while screaming at 5,800 rpm.
That engine would help make the Mustang Boss 302 competitive in the Trans Am series during 1969 and earn it a championship in 1970.

Racing Today
Conceptually, Ford's 2012 version of the Boss 302 V8 follows a similar developmental path. Starting with the new "Coyote" DOHC 5.0-liter V8, the engineering team concentrated on improving its talents for use in the Boss 302R road race Mustang.


 for more information about the Boss 302 click the link below:
http://www.insideline.com/ford/mustang/2012/2012-ford-mustang-boss-302-first-look.html