A 444-horsepower V-8 is all well and good, but nothing’s as thrilling as hearing a boisterous engine note. Fortunately, the Blue Oval engineers made it simple to remove the exhaust restrictors on the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302. The restrictors keep sound levels down to a street-legal volume, but with them removed, the Boss emits a fantastic, race-ready bark.

Fox Motorsports got hold of a Boss 302 Laguna Seca, and wasted no time in unbolting the exhaust restrictors. They were generous enough to film the car’s exhaust note both with and without the silencers installed. While the stock Boss 302 exhaust sounds great, we can’t get enough of the lusty roar with the restrictors removed. Listen for yourself with the videos below.

The Boss backs up its muscle-car bark with plenty of performance bite, as we found when we drove the car. Calling it one of the best Mustangs ever, we praised the high-revving 5.0-liter V-8, and found the uprated suspension provides crisp, sports-car-beating handling.