The return of the Ford Boss 302

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For the past few years, one engine has garnered more attention than any other: Chrysler’s Hemi. Between garish badging and a sublimely ridiculous TV advertising campaign, ‘Hemi’ has become synonymous with large displacement, American power. Ford wants a piece of that branding action too and has re-introduced the Boss 302 V8.

Originally called the Hurricane, the newly developed V8 underwent a name change to distance itself from a certain disaster off the Gulf Coast. The project was originally shelved in 2005, but Mark Fields decided that the development costs were necessary to compete in a market rife with clever branding strategies.

The 5-liter V8 will make anywhere between 340 and 500 HP, with the base block costing about $1,800 and a fully built unit running between $5k and $10k.

Although the engine is only available in crate form now, the new Boss will find a home under the hood of the 2008 F150, the Shelby GT, a 40th anniversary version of the pony car in 2009, the Boss Mustang, due the same year, and a few other special edition vehicles over the next three years.

More information and live pics are on their way. As always, stay tuned.

[Source: Ford, BlueOvalNews and the Detroit News]