The Mustang has become such a popular, important car to America, that special editions and one-off versions are almost commonplace. It doesn’t take a lot to rile up the Mustang crowd and to get them to open up their wallets. This is especially true when the proceeds go to charity, even if it is just a special paint job.

To celebrate the special 40^th anniversary of the Barrett Jackson, Ford is building a one-off, Grabber Blue, 2012 Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition, and donating the proceeds to charity.

The Boss Mustang program was part of a serious effort by Ford to steal back the SCCA Championship title from the upstart Penske Camaros. In 1970, Parnelli Jones edged out the competition, which included new Penske AMC Javelins as well as AAR ‘Cudas from Chrysler. As you can imagine, competition was fierce, but Ford walked away the winner that year thanks to builder Bud Moore and Jone’s Grabber Blue Boss Mustang.

Ford and Barrett-Jackson have had a very close relationship in the past few years, with Ford auctioning off first-of and one-off vehicles through the auction house, usually for charity. This Mustang will be the only factory Grabber Blue Boss Mustang Laguna Seca Edition built. All other Laguna Seca Boss Mustangs come in either silver or black with red accents. The proceeds of the auction (which we’re guessing will easily double the $40,000 street value of the Boss) will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Ford has donated over $2.5 million to JDRF over the past few years via vehicle auctions, and it’s given them the chance to make some special cars like this Mustang. Charity events always draw out the big bucks and the cool cars, after all. It’s kind of a kick in the balls to anybody else who wants a Grabber Blue Laguna Seca Boss Mustang, but sometimes that’s just how it is.

Official Release

A racing legend and a race-inspired car will team up to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) at the 40th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction at WestWorld in Scottsdale, Ariz.

A spectacular, one-of-a-kind factory-painted Grabber Blue 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca will be sold to the highest bidder with none other than racing great Parnelli Jones providing commentary from the auction stage with Ford’s Mustang team. Jones won the 1970 Trans-Am season opener in a Boss 302 and the Laguna Seca is named after the track where he won that race. The event will be televised live on SPEED channel.

“I am very excited to see that Ford is carrying on the tradition of the Boss Mustang,” said Jones. “Ford had the right ingredients to bring back this legendary car and it’s a great addition to the Mustang lineup.”

Alongside Jones on the auction stage will be Ford’s President of The Americas Mark Fields and Mustang Chief Engineer Dave Pericak.

“Like the legendary Parnelli Jones, the Boss Mustang we will be auctioning is truly one-of-a-kind. It is the only 2012 Grabber Blue Boss 302 Laguna Seca we will ever build,” said Fields. “The winning bidder on this car will not only become part of Mustang history but also will be a pioneer in the next chapter of the Boss legacy. At the same time, he or she will be contributing to a worthy cause, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.”

All proceeds from the auction of the car above MSRP will benefit JDRF, a leader in research leading to a cure for Type 1 diabetes. During the past four years, Ford – partnering with Barrett-Jackson – has raised nearly $2.5 million for charity through sales of vehicles at auction.

“With its combination of hot styling and serious performance, Ford’s Boss Mustang has always been at the top of the list for collectors,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson Company. “Since this Boss Mustang will have a very low production number and be specially built for our 40th anniversary event, the new owner will have a special piece of performance history for their collection. It’s a rare opportunity to support charity while taking home a very desirable modern collectible car.”

This Boss 302 Laguna Seca – a one-of-one production unit – was built specifically for auction at Barrett-Jackson. In addition to the unique Grabber Blue body color, it features:

• Distinctive black accents on the roof, mirrors and spoiler, Citic Diecastel wheels and C-Stripe
• Recaro seats with Grabber Blue seat embroidery and Rear X-Brace
• Grabber Blue grille surround

The Laguna Seca package pares the race-inspired 2012 Boss 302 down to its essential elements, with aggressive suspension, chassis and aerodynamic tuning, creating a ready-for-racing Boss.

The Boss Mustang is set to become the quickest, best-handling, straight-production Mustang ever offered by Ford. In fact, Ford would not green-light Boss Mustang production until track testing confirmed it would top one of the world’s best at the time – the 2010 BMW M3.

The Boss 302 Laguna Seca delivers more than 1.03 g of lateral acceleration, stopping distances shortened by three feet from 60 mph over Boss, 0-60 mph acceleration improvements of one tenth of a second, and an overall expected lap time improvement of one to two seconds versus the standard Boss on a typical road course.

The limited-production Mustang Boss 302 and Laguna Seca will be built at AutoAlliance International Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Mich.