We live in an age when people are willing to attach the “survivor” tag to any classic, even one that has undergone a faithful restoration. My interpretation of a survivor is a car that is as it left the factory, down to its original paint, trim, and drivetrain. This 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 definitely qualifies as a survivor, and its overall condition confirms the sheltered existence it has led. The time has come for this gem to find a new home, with the seller listing the Boss here on eBay in Bristol, Pennsylvania. They set their auction to open at $50,000, but have received no bids at the time of writing.
This Boss ticks the right boxes for serious collectors. Not only is it original and unmolested, but the Window Sticker and Marti Report confirm its identity beyond question. The car wears its original Medium Lime Metallic paint that holds a beautiful shine. It has a genuine 70,000 miles on the clock, and the lack of significant paint and panel defects suggests it has been treated respectfully since Day One. The underside shots reveal exceptionally clean floors and torque boxes, confirming that this Mustang is rust-free. The stripes are surprisingly crisp for their age, the spoilers and trim look excellent, and this inherently desirable classic scores further points courtesy of the Sport Slats on the rear window. I don’t believe the wheels are original because they don’t rate a mention on the included documentation. However, Magnum 500s never look out of place on a Mustang of this vintage.
The Mustang’s survivor credentials are further enhanced by its interior. Someone added an easily removed column-mounted Sunpro Super Tach II, which appears to be the only aftermarket item. The Medium Ivy Green vinyl trim exhibits stretching and a couple of seam separations on the driver’s seat, but with no gaping holes, new foam, and the attention of a reputable upholsterer may address these shortcomings without compromising the car’s survivor status. Otherwise, this interior has no urgent needs or problems.
Ford offered a wide selection of potent versions of its First Generation Mustang, but the Boss 302 was a homologation special for the Trans Am series. The company pitched the Boss at the under-five-liter category, with the 302ci V8 just sneaking below the bar. The company quoted power and torque figures of 290hp and 290 ft/lbs, but it is common knowledge that both were significantly understated. There was no self-shifting option, with a four-speed manual the only transmission offered. This car teams those components with a 3.91 Traction-Lok rear end and the obligatory power-assisted front disc brakes. The Boss 302’s ÂĽ-mile ET of 15 seconds doesn’t appear particularly impressive by the standards of the day, but taking that figure in isolation is missing the point of these cars. That sweet little V8 produces its peak power and torque high in the rev range, which isn’t ideal for the drag strip. However, it is perfect for circuit racing, which was the object of the exercise with this program. The seller confirms that our feature car’s survivor credentials extend to its numbers-matching status. They supply no information regarding its mechanical health, but I see no evidence that the news should be anything but positive.
Maybe it is a sign of age, but I admit that I miss “the good old days.” I long for a period when manufacturers built homologation specials for competition duties, allowing the general public to slip behind the wheel of barely disguised racing machines for the road. Without that era, cars like this 1970 Mustang Boss 302 would not exist. This classic is a real gem, and although it has received no bids, the listing’s viewing history and Watch List tally suggest it has generated interest. Will that translate into a successful sale? That’s a hard call to make. However, I did discover a previous successful sale for this car from August 2024. It changed hands for $50,500, but do you think the current owner will score a higher price less than five months later?
My favorite of the Mustang series. Good looking and plenty of power. Watched them race out at Sonoma, California in the ’70s and they were really something.
I’m with bobhess, one of my favorite Mustangs. They look cool, had respectable performance, and sounded good. This appears to be a well-kept example in survivor condition. It’s not perfect, but that’s okay; drive it, and don’t fret if you get a rock chip. I’m even fine with the Medium Lime paint and the dark green interior.
Horsepower ratings were meaningless sometimes.
Larry Shinoda nailed the design on this one. đź‘Ź
Sorry, but I never liked them. They only won the Trans AM championship in 1970 because Chevy, Penske and Donahue got tired of beating them for two years in a row and went away. That was a (out the back door) non factory backed Chevy / Penske effort vs two full on sponsored Ford teams.
Penske was working with normally available Chevy parts (Obviously Traco engineering stuff – not stock) so Ford had to build a Hybrid 302 block mated to Cleveland heads to complete. And they still got beat in 1969.
Not that I don’t like Fords, I have a 1943 GPW Ford Jeep. But it was built by my cousin with a 283 Chevy, 6″ lift kit, 38″ tires, and mostly 1942 Willys parts. I do admit to owning more than one Orange/Black 69 Z/28 Camaro.
I’m not a Ford fan, but Ford was far more successful in Trans Am than you’re giving them credit for. Mustangs won the series in 66 and 67, beating the factory Barracuda’s and Dart’s in 66, and in 67 beating the Penske/Donohue (Donohue with an O not an A) Camaro’s and the factory Mercury Cougar team.
In 68 the Penske Camaro’s easily beat the Mustangs (winning 8 races in a row and 10 of 13 overall). In 69 Ford backed two Mustang teams, Shelby Racing and Bud Moore, but the Penske Camaro’s won the championship again. Moore’s Mustangs were considered better cars, but Ford and Parnelli Jones (Moore’s lead driver) were tied to Firestone, requiring Moore’s Mustang’s to use Firestone tires. Many people thought they would have won if they could have used the better Goodyear’s that Penske used.
In 1970, Chevrolet and Penske/Donohue didn’t get tired of beating Ford, or go away. Penske signed with AMC to race Javelins and Chevrolet threw their support behind the Camaro team run by Chaparral Racing. Chrysler came back in 70 with two factory teams, Dan Gurney’s AAR racing Cuda’s and Autodynamics’ Challengers. Pontiac backed TG Racing’s Firebird Trans Am. Ford actually slashed their racing budget in 70, cutting back on all their racing support, leaving only Bud Moore’s factory Mustang team in TA. In spite of the increased competition and reduced budget, Mustang won the championship in 70. In 71 every manufacturer except AMC pulled out of TA, including Ford, which left Bud Moore to race year old Mustangs without Ford’s help. The Penske/Donohue Javelin’s easily won the championship, but Moore’s team did win a couple races. Penske left the series 72, turning their Javelin’s and the AMC contract over to Roy Woods Racing, who went on to win the championship for AMC again in 72.
I’ve always been a road racing and Trans Am Series fan. The first road race I ever went to was the 69 Watkins Glen Trans Am. I crewed for a Trans Am team in the 80’s, and with a team vintage racing a 67 Camaro with documented Trans Am history since 2007.
The dealer will ask significantly higher than $50,000. I couldn’t find this on their website, but everything had an eye watering price. There is a reason over the last 3 months they’ve had 60 completed listings, yet only 1 sale.
This is a nice car, that doesn’t need restoration, it’s too bad a dealer bought it last time rather than an enthusiast. Enthusiast’s are often too slow off the mark, they have forgotten the need to be proactive in their search or a dealer will beat them to it. Good deals don’t last, if you sit on your hands someone will beat you to it.
Steve R
Find the right lender, you can have a $1MM collection “for sale”. Insurance probably more expensive than the car, but it’s a write off if you sell something along the way.
I owned a 1970 Boss 302 and that does not make me an expert, but to my eyes the rear spoiler does not look correct. Seems too wide.
Look at the difference between this Mustang and the turquoise Camaro featured just a short time ago…look at variation in paint luster. This Mustang looks like how aged lacquer shines. Now, go back and look at the Camaro and tell me that the car is original paint lacquer. Out of the two, this Mustang is much, much, more believable to be original paint. Nice car.
The Camaro add does not say original paint, just original color-which is it not.
I’ve always wondered about this rear wing. With the angle that it has, wouldn’t it create lift rather than downforce ?
Like the Z-28 Camaro with the DZ302,keeping that “official”hp rating below 300hp was about insurance premiums at the time.The real hp rating on the Boss 302 was right around 358hp at over 7000rpm….
I agree with Steve, it’s a damn shame a dealer got their hands on it…..was wondering about the recent 8/2024 sale…..I always prefer buying from an enthusiast, never a dealer…..the mark ups are crazy….very nice Boss….wish it was a private owner, I’d have interest…..
I am by no means a “Ford guy” but I have always been pretty darn fond of the Boss 302. I think that the 290 horse rating on the Z-28 and the Boss 302 had more to do with SCCA than the insurance company’s. By 1970 there were some pretty substantial horsepower ratings already floating around and I would think that 450 horses in a Chevelle or 425 horses in a ‘Cuda would spook an insurance more than 360 or 370 in Mustang or a Camaro, particularly in light of the fact that the big block Mustangs and Camaros already had 375. My guess is that 50K is attainable number albeit a little high in my estimation. Still, I would imagine that with that gear ratio this thing is a gas to drive.
I don’t think the stripes are original. The side stripes on a Boss don’t go all the way to the edge of the wheel well, they stop short by an inch or so. On this car, they go to the edge.
Steve, I agree the stripes are different. I wonder if the aftermarket stripes wrap around the fender lip? It seems like something is off with this car. If I was looking for a true survivor, I wouldn’t expect the whole undercarriage to be blacked out. It doesn’t appear to be undercoating. Also, were washers installed under the intake manifold bolts? I didn’t think so but I could be wrong.
Find the right lender, you can have a $1MM collection “for sale”. Insurance probably more expensive than the car, but it’s a write off if you sell something along the way.
This seller is a true car guy. He owns a very large towing-repair business near Philadelphia. I used to live a few minutes from this dealer. His showroom is a former Chevy dealership that closed about 20 years ago. His cars are very nice, but yes, expensive. Isn’t everything else today?