In an effort to be competitive, various Detroit car manufacturers produced some a number of variants of their usual "pony car" lineups in both road and track trim (for homologation purposes), equipped with high-performing variants of their "small" 300-inch class V8 engines in order to make as much power as possible from the limited displacement. The Boss 302 program was part of an effort by the Ford Motor Company to win the coveted SCCA Trans-Am Championship in 1969 and 1970.
In an attempt to stay ahead, various Detroit car manufacturers created several versions of their standard "pony car" lineups in both road and racing trim (for compliance purposes), equipped with high-performance variants of their compact 300-inch class V8 engines in order to maximize power from the restricted displacement. The Boss 302 initiative was part of Ford's effort to secure the SCCA Trans-Am Championship titles in 1969 and 1970.