Today’s Mustang comes with separate keys for street and track. Let’s see if its odd, pre-production pedigree is the key to it bringing its present owner some serious bank.

There’s a concept in paleontology called “convergent evolution” which seeks to explain why two unrelated species, often separated by millions of years, can look so similar. A supporting example of this is how close Mesozoic ichthyosaurs appear to modern-day dolphins.

Such convergent evolution happens in the automotive world as well. If you consider this era’s Tesla Model 3, with its four doors, motor in the back, and a trunk up front, you might notice some similarities to the we considered yesterday. The more things change, the more they stay the same. One major difference between the modern Tesla and the old-school Vee-Dub is in price. At $5,500, yesterday’s 412 asks a fifth of what even the cheapest Model 3 might go for. That was not quite cheap enough, though, as the 412 fell in an exceptionally narrow 51 percent No Dice loss.

Many large organizations offer executive-track programs encouraging professional growth for talented managerial types. The object of such efforts is to strive to make not just bosses, but good bosses.

Today’s looks to be a very good boss. Being a pre-series car, it’s also one that went through some training to get the kinks out.

According to the ad, this Performance White over charcoal cloth coupe is number 29 of 44 cars built before the Boss 302’s 2012 re-introduction, and was used to drum up interest at media events and on the car show circuit. The seller suggests that this was one of the “rotisserie cars,” spun on its side at car shows to display the model’s bespoke four-exit exhaust. Included with the car are both the original “This Car Not For Sale” window sticker and the resale sticker once it was done with the show and media circus circuit.

The Boss 302 name was originally applied to the Mustang in 1969, and continuing through the 1970 model year. Intended as a potent entry into the SCCA Trans-Am series, the rules of which capped participant displacement at 305 cubic inches, the Boss 302 also found favor on the street due to its expressive graphics package and stellar performance.

The 2012 edition copies that same racer for the street formula, using a number of parts from both the GT and the 302R racer for a car that would be just at home on the starting grid as it is spinning out while exiting local Cars and Coffee meets.

The engine is a massaged version of Ford’s Coyote 5.0 V8, good for 444 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. Behind that is an MT-82 six-speed manual feeding a posi rear end. The Boss 302 benefits over the lesser GT by way of a lowered and stiffer suspension that also is adjustable, and by way of an extra set of keys that can limit or open up the performance depending on the need.

Per the documentation provided in the ad, this is one of four of the pre-production cars to come with both Performance White paint and the Recaro bucket front seats.

It has 38,000 miles on the ticker and, the seller says, only some minor road chips in the paint to show for that. Other than that, it looks impeccably clean inside, outside, and under the hood. New tires and TPS monitors have been installed, checking off one major regular expense for a while.

The add-on lettering on the top edge of the windscreen denotes this car’s unique nature and could probably be easily removed if considered too garish. Included with the sale are a clean title, the original owner’s manual, all the documentation notingits unique nature, and a factoid-rich display board for events. To cart all that home, the seller asks $42,500.

What’s your take on this mischievous Mustang and that $42,500 price? Does that seem like a deal for so storied a car? Or, does the pre-production nature not factor into its value as much as the seller seems to think it will?

You decide!

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Whatsupdohc for the hookup!

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