WTF?? A 4 door beats a Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca around VIR??

[madmmac]

The travesty, for some.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I hate to admit it, but in this case I'd probably take the Mustang. I just can't bring myself to like that fugly thing.

[cairns]

The Mustang is almost 40 years old, right? I think this says a lot for the Mustang. What would a forty year old 911 do around VIR?

[PorscheGAL]

As a Boss owner, it is not a travesty to me. Panamera Turbo S is an amazing car. I'm glad to see Porsche produce a really fast 4 door. I'm a fan of any fast car regardless of the make.

The price of a Panamera turbo S vs a Boss is the real travesty.

Here is the rest of the story:

Car and Driver has just published their annual “Lightning Lap” competition, and this year the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss Laguna Seca was among the contenders. Needless to say, the Boss 302 did extremely well with a lap time of 3:02.8, finishing first in its class (cars priced from $30,000 to $59,999) and easily beating out the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 (3:09.4), the Dodge Charger SRT8 (3:10.1), the BMW 335is (3:13.8), the Volkswagen Golf R (3:14.0) and the Mini Cooper JCW Coupe (3:18.4). The Boss 302 finished fourth overall in the competition, only losing out to the Porsche Panamera Turbo S, the Nissan GT-R and the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

Here’s what Car and Driver had to say about the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca:

Forget the numbers for a moment. The Boss 302 Laguna Seca (the raciest of racy factory Mustangs) fires so many of the right neurons that it could be the one car we’d drive forever. Ford excelled by focusing on the full high-performance experience, not just this 444-hp Mustang’s acceleration or lap times. Sometimes the feel, the sounds, and, yes, the smells can overshadow what a car achieves on the track.

At this point, you might be suspecting that we’re trying to cover up lackluster lap times with all this fuzzy talk of feel. We are not. The Boss is the quickest Mustang we’ve ever run at VIR. Forget the GT—this car posted a lap time 1.2 seconds quicker than last year’s 550-hp Shelby GT500. Only a Corvette Grand Sport beats the Boss on a speed/dollar metric.

But the Corvette doesn’t have the Mustang’s side-exhaust outlets that blast their rumble right under your ears. In our notebook, we scribbled: “God’s own engine roar.” Electric power steering doesn’t dull the Boss’s road feel. The cue-ball shifter is just about perfect. And the stitching on the seats looks fantastic.

If we were looking for faults, we’d say that the rear end has too much grip (the Laguna Seca model wears 10-inch-wide rear wheels, 0.5 inch wider than the regular Boss 302’s). That huge front splitter is there to increase front-end traction, but it’s not enough. The upside is that the rear never threatens to snap around. The Boss is a *kitten to drive, though it sounds like a tiger. We lapped it until the tank ran dry.

[cairns]

my bad thought they meant a 1970 Boss.....

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by cairns

The Mustang is almost 40 years old, right? I think this says a lot for the Mustang. What would a forty year old 911 do around VIR?

Huh? That's a new mustang. The laguna seca version. When Paul gets back from his Denny's breakfast I'm sure he'll tell us all about it.

[89911]

How about the Caymen R? If I came upon a used one in my area, I would give it some consideration. Must be a great drivers car.

[HardDrive]

I wonder why they didn't run a 911?

[willtel]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

I wonder why they didn't run a 911?

I think it has to be a new model or one that has had significant changes to compete and the 991 wasn't ready yet.

[chapo]

A better observation is that the Panamera beat the Cayman R. As did the stang. Barely.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by VaSteve

Huh? That's a new mustang. The laguna seca version. When Paul gets back from his Denny's breakfast I'm sure he'll tell us all about it.

Hell, Stephanie said it well. I'd rather have two (or is it 3?) Boss 302's than a Panamera...

I'd also like to try a set of Boss 302 wheels on my Bullitt...probably overkill though.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I hate to admit it, but in this case I'd probably take the Mustang. I just can't bring myself to like that fugly thing.

Did you see the Top Gear (Clarkston) episode on the exotic 4 doors?

[kaisen]

Here are the lap times faster than the Boss LS results over the years (out of 114 tested):

Lightning Lap 2012 - - Car and Driver

Rank Time Car Class Issue Date

1 2:45.9 MOSLER MT900S LL3 11/08

2 2:48.6 DODGE VIPER SRT10 ACR LL3 11/08

3 2:49.8 MOSLER PHOTON LL5 2/11

4 2:50.7 CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1 (Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires) LL3 2/12

5 2:51.8 CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1 (Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires) LL3 2/10

6 2:51.8 LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP570-4 SUPERLEGGERA LL5 2/11

7 2:52.3 KTM X-BOW LLU 2/10

8 2:53.2 NISSAN GT-R LL3 2/12

9 2:53.5 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 (Z07) LL3 2/11

10 2:53.9 LAMBORGHINI MURCIÉLAGO LP670-4 SV LL5 2/10

11 2:54.6 FERRARI 430 SCUDERIA LL5 11/08

12 2:55.6 NISSAN GT-R LL3 11/08

13 2:55.9 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS LL4 2/11

14 2:57.4 DODGE VIPER SRT10 LL3 10/07

15 2:57.5 PORSCHE 911 TURBO S LL4 2/11

16 2:57.6 ARIEL ATOM 3 LLU 2/10

17 2:58.0 MERCEDES-BENZ SLS AMG LL4 2/11

18 2:58.2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 LL3 8/07

19 2:58.5 CHEVROLET CORVETTE GRAND SPORT LL2 2/10

20 2:59.0 NISSAN GT-R (all-season tires) LL3 11/08

21 2:59.5 AUDI R8 5.2 FSI LL4 2/10

22 3:00.7 FORD GT LL4 11/06

23 3:00.7 PORSCHE PANAMERA TURBO S LL4 2/12

24 3:01.1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 LL3 11/06

25 3:01.2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE (Z51) LL2 11/08

26 3:01.6 DODGE VIPER SRT10 LL3 11/06

27 3:01.8 PORSCHE 911 GT3 LL3 8/07

28 3:02.8 FORD MUSTANG BOSS 302 LAGUNA SECA LL2 2/12

[pwd72s]

Yep, the Mustang is just a cheap and slow POS...I'm sure the cars of everybody who posts here are faster.

[PorscheGAL]

I suspect a new 2012 BMW M5 would also post a faster time than a Boss and it is a 4 door.

Kaisen's list shows the Boss can't beat them all. Most of the cars on that list have more than 100 hp over the Boss and cost significantly more, except maybe a 06 ZO6. I'm happy that the car is even being listed near those cars for the price.

[DaveE]

No matter what you own, there's ALWAYS a faster car out there somewhere......

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Did you see the Top Gear (Clarkston) episode on the exotic 4 doors?

Of those three I would have the Maserati, no question. It looks and sounds like sex, if I'm spending $100k+ on a car it had better turn me on.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

I suspect a new 2012 BMW M5 would also post a faster time than a Boss and it is a 4 door.

Kaisen's list shows the Boss can't beat them all. Most of the cars on that list have more than 100 hp over the Boss and cost significantly more, except maybe a 06 ZO6. I'm happy that the car is even being listed near those cars for the price.

Yes, the new M5 is the car du jour. It's always someone and this year it's them. (BMW). And people won't puke on its fender as they walk by, like the Panamera. For 6-figures, your car should not look like it was styled by a blind person.

The Mustang Boss 302 LS is an amazing car and I love the way they look. I loved the original Boss 302 and Z-28 Camaro. High-output SB engines, set-up for the track, what's not to like? And they look cool doing it.

American pony cars are designed to be affordable by the middle class, (a vanishing breed but let's not PARF this), They have cost constraints not imposed by the Germans or the Italians on their performance cars. So most of the $$ goes into the drivetrain and very little makes it to the interior materials. That's just the way it has to be.

I'd rather have a used Porsche with parking lot dings on it myself but if you want new car smell and performance on a budget, these American sports cars are amazing, performance-wise.

[Tervuren]

The Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Coupe is being beat by a jeep!

Of course, the Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca gets beat by the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Coupe....for longest name on the list.

[stealthn]

I can believe the BMW 1 - M did so well over the other cars... I like the Cayman R but I just can't stand the cluster with no "cover" over the gauges, looks unfinished to me.

Bob