The 1971 Boss 351 Mustang was the last of the true muscle cars of the era. It replaced both the Boss 302 and Boss 429 from the previous two years as the performance mustang in 1971. The Boss 351 Cleveland engine stocked 330 horsepower and featured a four-bolt man block, large port cylinder heads and valves, a solid lifter camshaft, an 11.7:1 compression ratio and aluminum valve covers. Also standard on the Boss 351 was Ram Air, 3.91:1 rear axle with Traction-Lok, Competition suspension, four-speed manual transmission, power front disc brakes, front spoiler, lower body side paint treatment and Boss 351 decals in place of the Mach 1 decals.
A chrome front bumper, instead of the rubber bumper found on the Mach 1, could also be found on the Boss 351. The black paint, in the shape of a rectangle, covered most of the hood which differed from the Mach 1 hood scheme. The Boss 351 had much better low-end response than the previous Boss 302 and Boss 429 models, and its equal weight distribution made for better handling as well as better braking.