With fresh models like the Dark Horse and the Mustang GTD and a production alliance with RTR Vehicles for a factory model, all signs pointed to Ford creating a new legacy with the S650 era. However, on January 15, 2024, the company filed for a trademark on “Boss,” hinting at the return of a storied performance variant.

What do we have here? On January 15, 2025, Ford applied for a Trademark on the Boss brand, which could indicate that the Boss is back for another run in the S650 era.

The trademark application applies to “Motor vehicles, namely, gasoline and electric passenger automobiles, sports cars, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles and their structural parts.” While that description casts a wide net, it’s not too wild a guess to assume that we might see a return of the Boss 302 in S650 form. Even more intriguing, the company applied for the mysterious Dark Horse Boss mark in Europe, which further stokes the intrigue of a blend between classic and modern Mustang variants.

The last Mustang to wear the Boss brand was the 2012-2013 Mustang Boss 302 and Boss 302 Laguna Seca models. Built to embody the high-revving, sharp-handling performance of the original 1969–1970 models, the S197-era Boss 302s were the first powered by an upgraded version of the Coyote 5.0-liter engine known as the RoadRunner, which delivered 444 horsepower. It was more potent than the 5.0-liter engine in the Mustang GT back then thanks to a unique intake manifold, higher-lift cams, CNC-ported cylinder heads, and other upgrades.

The original 1969-1970 Boss 302s were built to satisfy SCCA homologation regulations so that Ford could race the Boss 302 in the Trans Am class. The production version featured an elastic powerband and a tuned suspension, so can we expect something similar from the modern version? (Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company)

While it is too early to forecast what Ford might do with the Boss branding, we can only hope that it results in another high-performance model worthy of continuing this historic lineage more than a decade after the last Boss galloped off dealer lots.