Ford reveals Mustang GTD
Hot on the heels of their GT4, GT3 and Dark Horse R Mustangs, Ford has unveiled another high-performance pony car – the Mustang GTD. Inspired by the GT3, the upcoming street-legal Mustang takes its name from the the International Marque Sports Association’s (IMSA) “GTD” racing class for cars built to FIA GT3 technical regulations.
Development of the Mustang GTD began in 2021 as an “after hours” project by Ford Performance, with input from Multimatic (Ford’s partner on past motorsport projects).
With the goal of taking on the world’s best performance cars, the GTD features race-inspired technology, but being a road car, it doesn’t have to comply to race car rules, so includes elements that would be illegal for competition.
“This is a new approach for us,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO. “We didn’t engineer a road car for the track, we created a race car for the road. Mustang GTD takes racing technology from our Mustang GT3, wraps it in a carbon fibre body and unleashes it for the street.”
Form follows Function
While still recognisably a Mustang, the GTD differs cosmetically and mechanically from seventh generation variants that have already been revealed.
Features include a supercharged 5.2-litre V8, eight-speed transaxle, carbon-ceramic brakes, a wider track, large rear wing and advanced dual ride height suspension that suits street and track use. Options include active aerodynamic elements, a titanium exhaust system and magnesium wheels.
“We obsessed about the racing technology under its skin. What makes it go is even more compelling than what you can see when it passes by,” said Mark Rushbrook global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “When you look at the engineering, the aerodynamics, how the powertrain works, the Mustang GTD is a rocketship for the road.”
Light and Advanced
Developed alongside the Mustang GT3 (that will race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year), the Mustang GTD features a lot of that car’s componentry, but pushes beyond the boundaries of FIA GT3 rules.
Carbon fibre is used for the bonnet, front splitter, front guards, sills and roof, with carbon fibre front and rear fascias, and a carbon fibre boot lid optional.
Already engineered to cut through the air, the GTD’s aerodynamics can be enhanced with options that include a full carbon fibre undertray, an hydraulically-controlled active rear wing and hydraulically-controlled front flaps that are illegal in GT3 racing.
Ford says that the aero package will deliver “massive downforce” that’s balanced across the front and rear of the car, in turn allowing high cornering speeds and more consistent lap times.
“Our design team worked in conjunction with the Mustang GT3 design team and the aero team, sharing solutions between race car and road car, and vice versa,” said Anthony Colard, Ford Performance design manager, “This is an aerodynamics-driven design.”
Power to Burn
The supercharged 5.2-litre V8 powering the Mustang GTD incorporates the first dry sump system ever fitted to a roadgoing Mustang. Projected output in excess of 800hp (596+kW) is the highest ever offered in a street-legal Mustang, while an optional active valve titanium exhaust system is said to generate “exceptional notes” when the blown V8 hits its 7,500+rpm redline.
An 8-speed rear transaxle ensures near 50/50 weight distribution, with the architecture for both the engine and transmission based on driving simulators.
“The hardware has been carefully selected and developed to enable blistering lap time performance,” said Greg Goodall, Ford chief program engineer, “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 roadgoing Mustang ever from Ford.”
Wider and Better Planted
Enhancing the Mustang GTD’s performance is a semi-active suspension system, developed by Multimatic, that can vary both spring rates and ride height. Adaptive spool valve damper technology with hydraulically actuated dual spring rate and height suspension provides two unique states for the GTD, enhancing on-road and on-track performance independently. When in Track Mode, ride height is lowered by almost 40mm.
The short-long arm front suspension provides enhanced lateral stiffness and improved kinematics, especially in high-G cornering. The rear suspension features an integral link pushrod and rocker arm architecture, with inboard Adaptive Spool Valve shock absorbers and coil over springs integrated with a motorsport-style tubular subframe. The aim of all this is to ensure the car responds precisely to driver input on the track.
“We are extremely proud of our work on the Mustang GTD,” said Larry Holt, Executive Vice President, Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations. “It showcases our state-of-the-art DSSV spool valve suspension technology, with features not even allowed in racing.”
Compared to the Mustang GT, the track on the GTD is more than 100mm wider, thanks to 325mm front and 345mm rear tyres. Forged aluminium 20-inch rims are standard, with magnesium rims optional.
Brembo carbon ceramic brakes are standard, with cooling ducts for the rear discs incorporated below the semi-active suspension.
Finally, Variable Traction Control technology on the Mustang GTD is a Ford first that automatically modulates TC intrusiveness in Track Mode.
Race Car - Lux
While it’s a race car for the road, the Mustang GTD doesn’t run a race-style interior. Premium materials in the cabin include Miko suede, leather and carbon fibre, plus Recaro seats (fronts only, the rear seat has been removed) and digital dash displays.
Optional paddle shifters, rotary dial shifter and serial number plate use recycled titanium from F-22 fighter jets.
Multiple interior colour combinations will be available, along with special option packages. Same goes for exterior colours, which can even be colour-matched to a sample provided by the customer.
Premium Pony
Due for limited release in late 2024 as a 2025 model, the Mustang GTD won’t come cheap. An estimated price of US$300,000 (AU$475,000 approx.) easily makes it the most expensive production Mustang ever.
Whether the Mustang GTD will be offered in Australia was unknown at time of writing.
