that label since the 1969 original. Now, as then, Boss 302 means "a race car with a licence plate," says Ford. Virtually every system has been honed and buffed to transform the already-athletic Mustang GT into a track star. And that's just the "base" Boss. A Laguna Seca version takes the track talents to a higher level still. Also making its debut is TracKey - an available dual-personality powertrain-control module that lets owners choose between street or track settings, depending which ignition key they use. In track mode, TracKey even fakes the loping idle of a race engine. For all its ultimateness, the Boss 302 still isn't the fastest Mustang in a straight line. That remains the Shelby GT500, with its 550-hp supercharged V8. The Boss's 5.0-litre V8 makes only 444 hp. But with less weight to haul around than the Shelby, plus sinewier suspension and fortified brakes, the Boss is promised to be "one bad-ass factory race car designed for street-legal use." Five different ways to "shock" yourself I don't suppose Ford would refuse to sell Boss 302s to pseuds and wannabes, but their target market is clearly heading for the track. Consider, for example, the suspension; the shocks are five-way adjustable -- the old-fashioned way, with a screwdriver, directly on the shocks. If you don't know how to do that, or why, don't buy this car. Then there's the quad exhaust system. Two outlets exit at the rear in the normal manner, two others terminate just forward of the rear wheels. Ex-factory, the side pipes don't flow much gas, but they've been tuned for a unique sound. Moreover, their "muffler" discs can be removed, or replaced with aftermarket exhaust dump valves. "Owners can run wide-open and the sound levels are comfortable," says NVH engineer Shawn Carney - "very aggressive but livable for an all-day track outing." The Boss team considered supercharging, but instead decided traditional tuning would hold truer to the spirit of the original Boss (probably less expensive, too). "Make it breathe, make it rev and make it durable," was the mission statement. The main enablers of that: gnarlier cam profiles, gas-flowed heads, and short, race-engine style intake runners. The result: 444 hp (32 more than GT) and 380 lb.-ft. of torque (10 less). Peak horsepower arrives right up close to the 7,500-rpm rev limit. Yet despite all their custom parts, the Boss engines are built in the same Ontario engine plant as the GT's. Everything affecting performance was reworked The engine's outputs are relayed to the rear wheels through an upgraded clutch, a short-throw six-speed manual gearbox (the ratios are stock GT), and a 3.73:1 rear axle. A limited-slip differential with carbon-fibre plates is standard, a Torsen LSD optional (standard on Laguna Seca). On the chassis side, the lowered, stiffened suspension complements five-way-adjustable shocks. The Boss team also retuned the electric power steering, which (like all 2012 Mustangs) has three-way-adjustable steering effort. As well, recalibrated stability- and traction-control systems have a Sport mode, or can be disabled altogether. The Laguna Seca's chassis is tauter still, with a thicker rear anti-roll bar and shock-stiffness settings that start where the regular Boss leaves off. The Pirelli tire sizes are common to both models -- 255/40 front and 285/35 - but are summer performance PZeros on the Boss and competition performance Corsas, with R-compound rubber, on the Laguna Seca. Last but not least, the brakes: 14-inch rotors up front (GT: 13.2 in.) are clamped by four-piston Brembo calipers; stock GT rear brakes get upgraded competition pads. Plus - a small detail that makes a big difference - low-expansion brake hoses help ensure a firm pedal underfoot even under extreme abuse. "If it's in this car, it's there for the track" Ford's official line on standard feature content (above) is a little overstated. True, you can't option a Boss with a sunroof or navigation - and certainly not automatic transmission (how could you even ask?) -- but it does still have A/C, cruise, power windows and remote keyless entry. Personally, I'd gladly trade all that for eight-way seat adjustment and a telescopic steering column. As it is, the wheel only tilts, and the (manual) height adjuster tips the cushion forward as you raise it. Sure, torso-clamping seats are essential in a race car (Recaros are optional on Boss, standard on Laguna) but so should be the ability to fine-tune your relationship to the steering wheel and pedals. The Mustang's limited at-the-wheel adjustability may suit your body type, but it didn't mine. Since we're in gripe mode here, let's deal now with my only other one. Even in its most aggressive mode, the Boss's steering is still too light and numb. Wicked fast - and not just in a straight line But we sure didn't let a little failure-to-communicate come between us and a stonking good time in several different Boss and Laguna specimens (I confess, I may have exceeded my ration of track laps). Between sessions of red-mist Laguna Seca lappery, and an hour or two of mostly traffic-calmed highway driving, the "base" Boss validated its billing as a street-liveable track car. The engine may have lost a notional 10 lb.-ft. of peak torque, but what remains is more than ample; abetted by a surprisingly gentle clutch, it's easy to launch from rest in second gear, for example. Keep it floored, and a surge builds between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm that sends the needle lunging at the 7,500-rpm red line. All this accompanied by a riotous cacophony of gurgle and gargle and crackle and bark from the duet of intake and exhaust. Even in cruise mode the music never fully abates, but no gearhead would ever want it turned down. Over coarse, patchy pavement there's lurid tire roar, but the ride - my street-drive Boss had its shocks screwed to the default number-two setting - is liveable, albeit still in the context of athletic tautness. The shifter is a sweetheart, without the stiffness that often accompanies shortened throws. Let loose at Laguna Seca, the Boss not only feels at home on the track, but you feel at home in the Boss. It's ridiculously easy to drive hard. "Wicked fast," yes, but also balanced, progressive and trustworthy. In only my second visit to one of racing's most challenging tracks, I could focus on mastering the curves without feeling that first I had to master the car. In the Boss 302, Ford set out to build a Mustang that could lap Laguna Seca faster than a BMW M3, a mission that was duly accomplished, they say. Well, maybe so - with both cars piloted by Ford-appointed drivers, and on a track that is billiard-table smooth. Rougher pavement than Laguna Seca may pose challenges that would be better met by the Bimmer's independent rear suspension than by the rigid beam under the Mustang's rear end. But who cares? The cars most likely to be cross-shopped against the Boss are not Bimmers, but other Mustangs. The Boss 302 is the real deal, a manic Mustang for club racers and track-day enthusiasts. With only 300 of them destined for Canada (plus 35 Laguna Secas), a sell-out seems assured. 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Base Price: $49,649 (Laguna Seca: $58,149) Type of vehicle: High-performance sports coupe Engine: 5.0-litre, 32-valve, DOHC V8 Power/Torque: 444 hp/380 lb.-ft. Transmission: Six-speed manual 0-100 km/h: 4.5 seconds (est). Fuel consumption (city/hwy): 12.2/7.7 L/100 km. Competition: BMW M3, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Dodge Challenger SRT8, Mazda RX-8, Nissan 370Z, Porsche Cayman ... or none of the above
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