One of the more memorable names attached to the Ford Mustang over its long history is Boss. The designation was first used in 1969 for higher-performance variants – dubbed Boss 302 and Boss 429 -launched to rival the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 in the Trans Am racing series.
In 2012 and 2013, Ford brought the name back with a Boss 302 variant that pushed the performance limits of the Mustang at the time. And to give you an idea of just how serious this model's handling was, when the Mustang was redesigned in 2015, they switched to independent rear suspension. At the time, it was explained that they wanted to push performance to another level and that the benchmark was the 2013 Boss, and that to do so, they needed to change the model's architecture to match the rear suspension.
Last week, Ford filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the category of “Motor vehicles, namely, gasoline and electric passenger automobiles, sports cars, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles and their structural parts”.
That's the official jargon used by the organization, but it opens the door to many possibilities. Of course, reserving a name doesn't always mean a model is on its way, but sometimes it's a pretty clear sign something is up. It's hard to imagine another manufacturer using this name, so Ford likely isn’t reserving the name just to protect it. If the automaker was worried about that, it would have done so long ago.
The plan
For now, we’re in the realm of speculation as to Ford’s plans. We can guess at a new Mustang variant, but could Ford be tempted to create other Boss versions for other models? That remains to be seen.
One thing's for sure, Mustang enthusiasts will be salivating at the prospect of getting their hands on a new variant, knowing that a new Mustang Boss would quickly become a collector's item.
Ford hasn’t said anything official in response to the report of the trademark request.
