When Ford engineers decided to bring back the Boss 302 name for the Mustang, they knew they had to get it right. These days, a supercharger and spiffy wheels aren’t enough; today’s muscle cars perform on a world stage, and must be held to a higher standard considering the stiff competition from automakers across the world, but especially Europe.

Well Ford did that, and then some. German car magazine Sport Auto took to the historic Hockenheimring race track with test driver Christian Gebhardt at the wheel of a 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition. Gebhardt also brought along a bevy of European exotics including Porsches, Ferraris, and BMW’s. And the Boss beat them all.

The Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca’s starting price is $47,990, which isn’t cheap. But the competition represented big horsepower and big price tags that make the Laguna Seca seem downright affordable. Some of the more expensive competitors included the $192,000 Ferrari California and the $275,000 Aston Martin DBS.

But price tags don’t matter for much on the track, and the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca trounced all comers, save for the BMW M5, and the Bimmer barely beat the Boss. It’s nothing short of amazing what Ford was able to accomplish for such a comparable bargain. Beating up on Europe’s best half at less than half the cost; it doesn’t get much more American than that!