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RTR REVIEW TRAXXAS RTR 1/16TH 4WD VXL 302 BOSS MUSTANG WORDS: PETER GRAY IMAGES: PETER GRAY/SPEEDY STEVE SHOWING THE TARMAC WHO’S BOSS... ’ve always been a big fan of Muscle cars, and being born in the late ‘60s and growing up in the ‘70s (fl ares, big collars and all), I was bombarded by images of them in almost every fi lm I saw, and to think of it, in many of the TV shows of that era that I deemed Iat the time to be ‘cool’. The Ford Mustang in its various guises has probably had more fi lm cameras pointed at it than any other Muscle car, from ‘Goldfi nger’ in 1964 to ‘Diamonds are Forever’ in 1971, and the classic Steve McQueen fi lm ‘Bullitt’ in 1968 (the year I was born!). It’s always had its rivals, and probably the biggest has always been the Camaro, but the Ford Mustang legacy continues to this day with the latest shape 302 paying homage to the cars that went before it, both in looks and more importantly at the rear wheels where you expect a Muscle car to really pack a punch. The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 takes a standard 2011 Ford Mustang GT’s 5.0-litre V8 and adds an upgraded intake system and revised engine producing 444 naturally aspirated horsepower, that’s a 32 horsepower jump over the standard GT’s 412. This is achieved by utilising CNC ported heads, revised camshafts and the high fl ow intake taken from the Ford 302R racecar. Producing 380 lb-ft of torque the Boss 302 comes with an upgraded six-speed ‘manual’ transmission. A 3.73 rear axle uses carbon fi bre plates in its limited slip differential. One really cool feature is that the intake system has also been reengineered to provide a ‘growl’ under hard acceleration, while the quad exhaust system is made up of two standard Mustang GT outlets and two side pipes that exit on either side of the rear crossover. The side pipes send the exhaust through a set of metal discs to create this extra ‘growling’ exhaust sound. The Boss 302 takes the Mustang GT’s suspension and adds higher-rate coil springs, stiffer bushings, and a larger diameter rear stabilizer bar. The body is lowered 11 mm up front and just 1 mm in the rear to give it a more raked stance and more closely resemble the original. The shocks are even adjustable at the shock tower by using a fl at head screwdriver. The standard Mustang traction and stability control programs have been altered with a new intermediate sport mode designed to allow for more fl exibility on and off the track. Recently, Ford invited a bunch of motoring journalists to test out the all-new 2012 Boss 302 Mustang at a press launch event… Among some of the impressive statistics recorded at this was a 0-60 time of 4 seconds fl at and a 12.3 second quarter mile run. Cars costing in excess of twice that of the Ford would have trouble matching that! At the legendary Laguna Seca track, a professional racing driver took the Boss 302 around with a best lap time of 1 minute and 40.2 seconds. That time beat a 2010 Audi R8 and even Ford’s own Shelby GT500 (by over 4 seconds, despite a 100 horsepower defi cit in favour of the Shelby!) What’s more, this was just a regular 302 Boss, not even the much anticipated ‘Laguna Seca Edition’. Ford insists that the Laguna Seca Edition 302 will be able to complete a lap in under 1 minute 40 seconds, for a car that costs less than $50,000 on the street in the US, that’s an amazing statement of intent… If I get my lottery win in 2012 then this is my fi rst ‘new toy’ on the ‘to buy list’… but until then, there’s a more affordable alternative for UK Muscle car fans from another of our favourite US brands... 80 WWW.RADIORACECAR.COM 03/12 traxxas mustang_RRCMAR12.indd 80 17/1/12 11:41:33 RTR REVIEW QUICK SPEC Manufacturer Traxxas Type 4WD 1/16th Muscle Car Price £324.99 www.logicrc.com Scale 1/16th SHOWING THE TARMAC Power 4WD Brushless Electric Length 373 mm Front Track 185 mm Rear Track 185 mm Weight 964 g Height 120 mm WHO’S BOSS... Wheelbase 206 mm “What better way to start the New Year’s reviewing roster than with something that’s designed purely with performance and fun in mind” 03/12 WWW.RADIORACECAR.COM 81 traxxas mustang_RRCMAR12.indd 81 17/1/12 11:41:55 RTR REVIEW TRAXXAS RTR 1/16TH 4WD VXL 302 BOSS MUSTANG equates to 44,400 rpm on 3S and will take the 302 to 50 mph+ in the right environment. Obviously this was something I would need to verify, just for the sake of scientific investigation you understand… but first let’s have a closer look at the ‘Stang itself… SIMILAR YES, BUT AGAIN VERY DIFFERENT… Once the shell is removed you can see a very familiar 1/16th Traxxas platform emerge. Apart from a few cosmetic changes it’s virtually identical to the Ken Block VXL car we reviewed last year. Granted that may not have MY LITTLE PONY! What better way to start the New Year’s reviewing roster than with something that’s designed purely with performance and fun in mind. Traxxas have never been a company to sit on their laurels and wait for the rest of the R/C world to develop around them. With releases like the X0-1 100+ mph Supercar they Above: Sometimes actually change the rest of the industry’s perceptions simple lines make of what’s commercially viable, and sometimes even the best looking car possible! They also start trends in R/C like SC, with the now designs legendary Slash line of racing trucks. What sat before me on my desk at RRCi HQ (or Traplet Towers if you prefer) was a perfect 1/16th version of this new shape 2012 Boss appealed to everyone out in R/C land, but it was one of the best- 302 Mustang… A quick look on the box confirmed it had the Traxxas selling R/C vehicles of 2011 and had a following that included anyone VXL 3M brushless combo fitted meaning an 8 turn (4000 kV) 380 can who’s into the Block Brand, X-Games, Skateboarders, BMXer’s, sensorless motor and ESC capable of handling 6 to 12 cells NiMH or Snowboarders, Rally Fans, DC clothing nuts and good old Monster 2S or 3S LiPo and 326 A of peak current if the mood took me. That Energy addicts like me! The Boss will appeal to a very different crowd, and I am sure a wider audience and possibly even age range. Let’s face it, I look at a Muscle car and it always screams at me to drive it! The 302 is no exception, let’s delve a little deeper… The first thing I scrutinised were the wheels and tyres. This will never drive like a true Muscle car, with chassis twisting, wheelie-popping drive as it’s based on a 4WD system. But that aside it will offer you handling and grip in equal measure, and that’s not excluding the bonkers acceleration and top speed. To this end Traxxas have fitted a racing slick tyre in a fairly soft compound rubber. All four wheels are the same design and size due to the 4WD system, and Traxxas have been clever in that the rubber compound used is not soft enough to be destroyed in a just a few runs no, it’s hard enough to resist being damaged running on tarmac or even at speed, but still soft enough to generate more than ample traction when you want to really feed the power in. When new, they can act a bit like drift tyres for a while until they ‘scrub up’ and you break into the fresh rubber hidden below the initial skin, but this was a fun way to start the review and the grip gradually came up as I ran the car. ALL THE BEST BITS The Boss 302 carries over the same revolutionary F1 inspired ‘Rocker Actuated’ suspension design that’s been a familiar sight on many scales of Traxxas vehicle over the last decade. It keeps the centre of gravity of the chassis and its components nice and low, and ensures that other than the ‘nominal’ weight of the shell, weight transfer and grip roll is kept to a minimum. The power from the VXL motor is passed through a slipper Above: Note the Mustang emblem on the rear… the symbol of the breed since the assembly fitted to the main spur gear and then is passed longitudinally ‘60s via telescopic propshafts to the front and rear diffs. 82 WWW.RADIORACECAR.COM 03/12 traxxas mustang_RRCMAR12.indd 82 17/1/12 11:42:13 RTR REVIEW “I look at a Muscle car and it always screams at me to drive it! The 302 is no exception” I’ve had great experiences with these all-metal planetary diffs, and as long as you maintain them they will reward you with hours of fault free run-times. What I mean by this is that they need filling with good quality silicon oil or as I’ve done in the past, packed them with viscous Marine grease that literally sticks itself to the gears and keeps them lubricated no matter what.

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