We can’t help ourselves. Once we’re up in the hills and away from traffic, we punch it, the rear end squats, wags a little then catapults us momentarily into nasty ticket zone. We’re giggling like school kids with potty-mouth. It begs to be driven faster as the road curves and undulates tighter, downforce pushing it to an almost hovercraft-like suction bond with the road. The handling is rock-solid, yet not jarring. Although it too could be described as a beast, the Boss 302 is a completely different animal from its GT500 sibling. Where the Shelby is a crude, blunt-force straight-line bludgeon, the Boss 302, particularly the Laguna Seca, displays agile, sophisticated handling that rivals that of the autobahn-bred Germans.
Transforming the Boss into a full-on race car is as simple as turning a key. Available on both models, TracKey software can be installed on the vehicle’s power control module (PCM) and accessed by a specially programmed red key. Use the black key for regular daily driving, and the red key to access TracKey – which alters over 300 engine parameters. The cam develops a thumping lope, and acceleration and deceleration go from polite to abrupt – removing all the mid-range comfort.
We spend most of the afternoon lapping the legendary raceway, but later we’re able to ride shotgun with 2010 Daytona winner, Johnathan Bomarito, where we experience what the car is really capable of. It's pretty hard to shake the 302's composure, it's simply a superb racetrack athlete.
To negotiate the hairpin turn, Bomarito says that invariably, most other race cars would have to drop to 2nd gear, and yet, the Boss 302 easily and smoothly takes it in 3rd. The torque delivery seems endless. Remember, during testing sessions, Bomarito was able to beat the BMW M3’s best time; this thing is FAST!
But it won't be wearing a German price tag - the Boss 302 can be had for $44,649, while the Laguna Seca stickers at $58,149.
Three hundred Boss 302 are designated to arrive in Canada late this spring, and only 35 lucky Canadians will score a Laguna Seca.
Transforming the Boss into a full-on race car is as simple as turning a key. Available on both models, TracKey software can be installed on the vehicle’s power control module (PCM) and accessed by a specially programmed red key. Use the black key for regular daily driving, and the red key to access TracKey – which alters over 300 engine parameters. The cam develops a thumping lope, and acceleration and deceleration go from polite to abrupt – removing all the mid-range comfort.
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| Three hundred Boss 302 are designated to arrive in Canada late this spring, and only 35 lucky Canadians will score a Laguna Seca. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush/Auto123.com) |
We spend most of the afternoon lapping the legendary raceway, but later we’re able to ride shotgun with 2010 Daytona winner, Johnathan Bomarito, where we experience what the car is really capable of. It's pretty hard to shake the 302's composure, it's simply a superb racetrack athlete.
To negotiate the hairpin turn, Bomarito says that invariably, most other race cars would have to drop to 2nd gear, and yet, the Boss 302 easily and smoothly takes it in 3rd. The torque delivery seems endless. Remember, during testing sessions, Bomarito was able to beat the BMW M3’s best time; this thing is FAST!
But it won't be wearing a German price tag - the Boss 302 can be had for $44,649, while the Laguna Seca stickers at $58,149.
Three hundred Boss 302 are designated to arrive in Canada late this spring, and only 35 lucky Canadians will score a Laguna Seca.
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