1969 Ford Mustang Boss legacy lives on: Trademark sparks comeback rumors
“Looks great, with a touch of menace,” is how we described the vehicle Larry Shinoda created for the 1969 Ford Mustang: the high-performance trim, the Boss.
This now-legendary Mustang was a response to the Camaro Z/28 as both marques engaged in brutal Trans Am racing series rivalry that would cement both as ultimate American sports cars, resulting in a fearsome competition that has spanned decades.
While the last Boss Mustang was assembled for the 2013 model year, it appears a revival could be on the horizon.
A look at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reveals the revival could be real, but don’t let the serifed font you see the “BOSS” wording in scare you. That is just a placeholder and there is no need to worry about it looking boring. We’re confident that it will either look like the classic design, or be a nice, modern take on the font.
The main thing to focus on is that Ford has decided to bring back the name for use in “Motor vehicles, namely, gasoline and electric passenger automobiles, sports cars, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles and their structural parts.” It is not any concrete evidence on what the plan is exactly for the “Boss” trademark, but it could lead to a few interesting ideas.
The inclusion of pickups and SUVs is giving us hope that there might models beyond the Mustang to get the Boss treatment. We’re thinking of Boss versions of the Maverick, the Mustang Mach-E, Explorer, or even a real version of the Bronco Boss that was prototyped in 1969. That one could muddy up Ford’s off-road naming convention with Raptor, but we could get an interesting pavement-pounder version like that 1969 prototype was promising.
We reached out to Ford to see if they could enlighten us on just what it plans for the Boss name, but as automakers are reluctant to speculate about future product, we doubt they'll spill any details. If a new Boss Mustang is happening, our best guess for its implementation would be a special package to be added to the Mustang GTD — joining the Spirit of America model. It is at least some good news for Ford enthusiasts at the start of 2025.
Photos by MotorTrend Staff, Manufacturer