Ford’s New Mustang GTD Revealed as a Race Car for the Road

Ford’s New Mustang GTD Revealed as a Race Car for the Road

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If we were given a chance to name the new Ford Mustang GTD, we’d call it the ‘race car for the road’ simply because it has all the attributes befitting of the name.

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It garners its inspiration from the Mustang GT3 slated to race at Le Mans next year, and it has been built to become the quickest road-going Mustang ever, thanks to the extensive expertise from the same engineers behind Ford’s Mustang race cars and the Le Mans-winning Ford GT.

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The Mustang GTD makes use of a 5.2-litre supercharged V8 engine with dual air inlets. At this point, we don't know how much power it produces, but Ford is shooting for more than 590kW. This will make the GTD the most powerful production Mustang in Ford’s history. Just in case you are wondering, it's named after the IMSA GTD racing class with the ‘D’ standing for ‘Daytona’.

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According to Greg Goodall, the brand’s chief programme engineer, the team is targeting the sub-7-minute Nurburgring time. "The target for this project was clear: go much, much faster than we’ve ever gone before with a targeted sub-7-minute Nürburgring time. This makes it the fastest road-going Mustang ever from Ford."

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What Ford shared, though, is that power will be sent entirely to the rear axle via a carbon fibre driveshaft that is linked to an 8-speed transaxle automatic transmission, which contributes to the vehicle’s 50:50 weight distribution.

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Design-wise, the Mustang GTD looks nothing like we have seen before under the Ford banner. From the aerodynamic design cues to its aggressive stance, the GTD looks absolutely bonkers. It comes fitted with a front splitter, vented hood, C-pillar-mounted active rear wing, carbon fibre body panels, and an underbody aero tray.

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Ford was keen to introduce some of the technology that would be illegal in racing, such as hydraulically-controlled front flaps for better airflow in coordination with the aforementioned active rear wing.

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The Mustang GTD comes with front tyres that measure 325mm in width, matching those of the Ford GT, and 345mm wide tyres at the back. The tyres are wrapped around 20-inch forged alloys or forged magnesium wheels. These are home to massive Brembo carbon ceramic brakes optimised for intense driving. As for the rear brake heat, it’s shed with the aid of cooling ducts below the rear suspension.

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The interior features a combination of Miko suede with leather and carbon fibre, Recaro seats, 3D-printed paddle shifters, a rotary dial shifter, and a serial plate. The rear seats have been deleted to reduce weight and increase boot space. Buyers will be able to choose between multiple interior and exterior colour combinations.

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The Mustang GTD is the closest that the public can get to the GT3 racer. It’s one model that looks promising in terms of handling and performance. There’s a catch, though: it’s not cheap at approximately $300,000, or R5,718,027 at the current exchange rate, and its production will be limited.

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The first customer deliveries are scheduled to start in late 2024 or early 2025.

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