Who's the Boss?

The Original Boss

This isn't it. What you're looking here is the Original Boss, the Ford Mustang Boss 429. Known to be one of the rarest and most valued muscle cars of all time, there are about 859 Boss 429 models ever made and the engine that powers it comes from the Ford 385 engine. It was based on the modified 428 Cobra Jet Mach 1 Mustang because a normal Mustang's bodywork wasn't wide enough to fit this massive engine so, they've enlisted Kar Kraft to do that job. It was produced in 1968 in Brighton, Michigan at Kar-Kraft's factory because of the necessary modifications needed to create a Boss 429.

The 7.0L engine that powered the Boss 429 produces 375 hp (280 kW) and 450 lb·ft (610 N·m) of torque. Originally, this would be over five hundred horsepower but they decided to list 375HP due to legal issues and rising insurance costs. For a special treatment, the Boss 429 comes with special NASCAR identification that was placed on the driver's side door. Each car was given a "KK" number which stood for Kar Kraft. KK #1201 was the first Boss 429 and KK #2558 was the last Boss 429 made.

Sadly, the 429 was short-lived because of poor sales and the 1970 model year served as the last year for the Boss 429. As of 2008, auctions on eBay and at Barrett-Jackson have brought bids of over $350,000.

This was born to be here...

Having driven the Original Boss though, I never realize that why of the most high-performance Mustangs from the past to present are tracing its roots from this one, sadly though, it was short-lived and now a rare classic muscle cars collectors are dying to hunt one of these. Judging by its looks, it reminds me of a classic Boss 302, which is a high-performance Mustang that was made for Trans-Am racing. Designed by a former General Motors employee and built in Michigan, the Boss 302 was part of an effort by the Ford Motor Company to win the coveted SCCA Trans-Am Championship in 1969 and 1970.

Happily however, the Boss 302 was resurrected and this is Mustang Royalty. Oh wait, royalty? What's royalty for American? Presidential? No, can't be right.... anyway...

Meet the new Boss - same as the old Boss

I now had a chance to drive the new model and find out....Bye!

Boss 302 in action!

Now strictly saying, the Mustang Boss 302, in Laguna Seca version, did appeared in last year's Top Gear at the Movies DVD and it was battered by the Vauxhall VXR8 GTS (which is a Holden HSV GTS E3) but what we saw on that clip was the 2012 model year Boss 302. This, however, is the facelifted 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302, the car this is part of the August Playseat Car Pack.

For the 2013 model year, the Boss 302 comes with a new hockey stick graphic featuring reflective stripes, calling back to the 1970 Boss 302. There is now a new SCHOOL BUS YELLOW color, honoring Parnelli Jones's 1970 Trans-Am championship car prepared by Bud Moore. The Laguna Seca version comes with a new Sterling Gray accents and it will be available in School Bus Yellow and black paint offerings. Unlike the previous model, the roof will not feature colored accents.

Anyway, even though it has some refinements on the outside and on the inside, we'd still expect the same performance from the old 2012MY Boss 302 model I drove while I was playing a video game involving a race from San Francisco to New York. 5.0L V8 engine produces about 444HP of power, 380lb-ft of torque, and it can do 0-60mph in something about four seconds. This is a fun muscle car even though you are an idiot driving without a license, oh wait, this is a bonkers muscle car made for the idiots who just want to spend the rest of their lives hooning around city squares, residential areas, anywhere they want, unless if you're ready with a Psychic Paper on your pocket. 

Boss 302 vs. the corkscrew

Like any muscle cars I drove on Forza Motorsport 4, the 2013 Boss 302 feels a bit more dynamic, I know, I said it too much about the whole MILD, STANDARD, and DYNAMIC stuff but that's how cars in this game behave. It's like a choice of either a mild, normal, or strong coffee on your table. If cars are made to be mild, it's essentially easy and made for beginners. If cars are made to be standard, then the power, handling, and something else are well balanced. Cars like the M3, Aventador, R8 V10, R35 GT-R, and the FR-S are considered standard because of the handling allows you to regain grip, the power, the weight, everything that keeps them afloat and balanced. If a car that is dynamic, like Aston Martins, muscle cars from the USA, Holden HSV's, and selected exotics like the SLS AMG, Diablo, Venom GT, Koenigsegg, and the Noble M600, then these are not made for the beginners. They're made for the bravest and experienced drivers on this game. Sure, they're made to twist and shout in style, they've highly difficult to regain its grip. 

The 2013 Boss 302 was fit into that category. DYNAMIC can be put it into CHALLENGING but not all can be DYNAMIC and CHALLENGING if you put it an effort to master different machines regardless of power, size, and the driving feel.

Then and now - 492 and 302

I really loved the new Boss 302 and if I put it next to the old Boss 492, this whole "Then and Now" comparison really shows that where are they now but the question is....WHO'S THE BOSS? To find out, I decided to put these two round the Top Gear Test Track...

The Boss 429, the old one, did it in 1:33.907 while the 2013 Boss 302 did it in 1:25.687 so I finally came to the conclusion that the new Boss 302 is THE BOSS. Sure, it maybe a mid-ranged Mustang that slots between the normal and the hardcore GT500 but hey, at least the four-decade absence really made Ford learned their lesson about bringing back the Boss. Job done....