2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 priced from $40,995

The price to own the forthcoming 2012 Mustang Boss 302 has been announced, and starts at $40,995 including destination and delivery. The pricing makes a lot of sense, as it places the Boss solely in between the Mustang GT and Shelby GT500. The price for the Laguna Seca edition will run you $47,990.

Options are many and you can quickly run up the price by adding them. Recaro seats and a Torsen differential adds $1,995. An Accessory Package with floor mats and car cover goes for $475. Yellow Blaze Tri-Coat paint is an additional $495. You can even add an engine block heater for $35 (why not?). Now all we need is an onlne configurator to play around with (hint, hint).

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 dealer allocation will be limited, lottery based

As good as the new Mustang Boss 302 promises to be, we were certain to see some limitations on supply and no limitation on demand leading up to the car's launch. Most every popular new model experiences some markups and limited accessibility early in its life cycle, and the Boss figures to be no exception.

According to Boss302Forum.com, allocation will be determined in two ways. Large volume dealers that make up 75 percent of sales will receive 75 percent of the allocation. The actual number of cars that those dealers receive will be based on the last 12 months of sales ending in September of 2010 but each dealer is guaranteed at least one Boss.

The remaining 25 percent will be determined via a lottery, with each dealer getting a chip initially and an additional chip for each Mustang it has sold in the last 12 months. The outcome of this is pretty much guaranteed to involve a lot of markups and massive demand, especially since Ford has already announced that the new Boss will be the best handling Mustang ever. As always, if you want the prestige of owning a special car before most everyone else, you will have to pay the price.

Video: Jay Leno gets a close up of Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition

We've said it before, and we'll say it again - Jay Leno is a *ahem* lucky man. He not only owns one of the greatest car collections in the world, but he also gets access to things that most people never could. His status as not only a celebrity, but as a certified car nut, get him places most of us can only dream of.

Leno was on hand at the unveiling of the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and the Laguna Seca Edition. Sporting more features and unique color and graphics schemes, the Laguna is a special beast. Leno caught up Tom Barnes, the vehicle engineering manager for the Mustang, and got to talk to him about the car for the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage.