Ford Boss 302 Mustang Heads to Auction

A 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 is up for sale in an online auction hosted by Henderson Auctions. This particular car is one of only 649 Mustang Fastbacks finished in Bright Yellow that year.

The vehicle was born from a corporate rivalry. Ford President Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen commissioned a project to create a "Camaro killer" to challenge Chevrolet's dominance in the SCCA Trans-Am series. He tasked former General Motors designer Larry Shinoda with the job.

Shinoda, who had worked on the Corvette and later the Mustang, designed the road-going version required for homologation. His work gave the car a distinct motorsport look. It featured a black hood, reflective "C-stripes" along the sides, and front and rear spoilers. The Boss 302 was one of the first production models to be equipped with such aerodynamic aids.

The Homologation Special

To compete in Trans-Am, where engine displacement was capped at 5.0 liters, Ford engineered a special powerplant. They combined the block from the small-block "Windsor" V8 with cylinder heads from the larger "Cleveland" engine. The result was a 302-cubic-inch V8.

Ford was conservative with its official power rating, claiming 290 horsepower. In reality, the engine likely produced around 360 horsepower at the crankshaft. A total of 8,642 Boss 302 models were built for the 1970 model year.

The Car on Offer

This auction car rides on period-correct 15-inch "Magnum 500" wheels with Firestone Wide Oval tires. Its interior is trimmed in black "Kiwi"vinyl. A prominent feature is the Hurst shifter, which operates a close-ratio four-speed manual transmission. The car's name has a dual meaning."Bunkie" Knudsen. Internally, Shinoda reportedly referred to the project simply as "the boss's car."

Racing Pedigree

The Boss 302 entered the Trans-Am fray to battle the Chevrolet Camaro Z28. In its debut season of 1969, Ford's contender lost the championship to its rival. The tables turned in 1970 when the Boss 302 secured the title.

The 1970 champion was driver Parnelli Jones. The auction listing suggests that owning this Bright Yellow Boss 302 offers a chance to connect with that racing legacy.