Although the Ford Mustang may not be having the best of times in the Australian V8 Supercar Series now, as far as producing street legal race cars, you would have to say the future is looking pretty good with the release of the new Mustang GTD Supercar.
First muted more than 12 months ago the Mustang GTD is a joint project between Ford and Canadian automotive giant Multimatic, specifically their Special Vehicle Operations company which looks after performance car development and the racing side of their operation.
It really is an amazing car in that it’s a road–legal version of a racing car which contains the maximum amount of race technology possible, in fact there’s componentry on the GTD that isn’t allowed in the racing cars.
According to Fords Global President, Jim Farley:
“Mustang GTD shatters every preconceived notion of a supercar. This is a new approach for us. 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 race car, wraps it in a carbon fibre Mustang body and unleashes it for the street.”
At this stage it’s probably worth noting that as Fords Head man, Jim Farley has a real passion for, and know much about performance cars and racing as this video shows where he takes Jimmy Fallon for a few quick laps in a race Mustang like the ones in the V8 Supercar series.
Jimmy Fallan and Jim Farley test drive the Mustang Supercar
It is great to see an international motor company boss with such a love of a performance car, and an obvious passion for the likes of the Mustang GTD, a car that he’s championed for.
The First-Ever Mustang GTD – Ford
The new Mustang GTD is definitely a supercar in the true sense of the meaning, it has a supercharged 5.2-litre V8 that reportedly makes 596kW or 800hp, a new eight-speed dual clutch tansaxle (similar to what’s in the V8 Supercars), carbon fibre driveshaft, carbon fibre panels for much of the body, active aerodynamics, magnesium wheels and carbon ceramic brakes.
On the suspension side, the GTD has a bespoke adjustable system that allows the car to be lowered 40 mm when it gets to the track with the complex hydraulic system for the suspension – along with the transaxle and rear wing mounting posts all located in the traditional boot space. The front suspension is a short-long arm set-up that according to Ford “provides enhanced lateral stiffness and improved kinematics especially in high-G cornering,” while the rear suspension is an integral link pushrod and rocker arm design with inboard Adaptive Spool Valve dampers and coil-over springs, specially developed by Multimatic.
This video takes a closer look at the making of the new Mustang GTD:
According to Ford, the Mustang GTD will be a “limited run” with no specific number stated and pricing will start at US$300,000 (approx. Aust $468,000) and will start life on the traditional Flat Rock Assembly line but will be converted to GTD specification at Multimatic’s specialist facility in Markham, Canada – where the Ford GT and Bronco Desert Racer have been built.
If you’re interested, here’s the website: