The original 302 sprung to life as a result of the 5.0L displacement limit imposed by the SCCA for its Trans-Am road racing series. Still, the 302 was plenty successful at the drag strip as well ...

While largely similar to the 302 V8 found in the 1970 version, the latter featured a few all-new parts and some components from the 1971 429-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Super Cobra Jet.

In dealerships, the 302 lost the battle with the Z28 by a wide margin. According to 1969 sales figures, Chevy sold 20,302 units while Ford only released 1,628 Boss 302s into the wild.