Develop a model variant of the Ford Mustang that can compete with the best European sports cars? A handful of Ford Performance employees in the US state of Michigan faced this task in 2021. The development goal: a lap time on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in less than seven minutes. The result was the Mustang GTD.
Now the abbreviation GTD is known as the name of a model variant of the long-time best-selling car in Europe, the VW Golf. Once introduced as the diesel counterpart of the GTI and with a slightly sporty touch. With a sporty touch, there is no question of the Mustang in question. Neither does diesel. GTD stands for “GT Daytona”, which comes from the North American IMSA series, where its GT3 racing counterpart will start in the class of the same name next year. With a 5.2-liter turbocharged V8 engine that develops more than 800 hp, the Mustang GTD is the fastest road-legal derivative that Ford has ever developed. A carbon fiber propshaft is responsible for the power transmission of the super sports car. It connects the engine with an 8-speed direct shift gearbox on the rear axle and, in this transaxle design, ensures a balanced weight balance between the front and rear axles. There is also a chassis system with adaptive springs that lowers the car by 40 millimeters when used on the racetrack. The wide body with a powerful rear wing and hydraulically adjustable aerodynamic elements in the front and rear areas is also primarily made of carbon fiber, as are the drive shafts and the carbon-ceramic brakes. In terms of track width, the Mustang GTD exceeds the GT production model by almost four inches, and its 325 front tires already match its rear wheels. 345 millimeter wide 20-inch tires are used on the rear axle. Ford boss Jim Farley is mighty proud of the new mega Mustang and challenges “everyone else” because the car shows “what the Ford Motor Company can achieve and what our team is capable of doing every day. I like to compete with him on the race track against the other bosses of the car manufacturers with their fastest road sports cars.” Oliver Blume (Porsche), Michael Schiebe (AMG), Stephan Winkelmann (Lamborghini), Benedetto Vigna (Ferrari) or Mate Rimac (Bugatti). /Rimac) will have heard it. The handcrafted Mustang GTD is scheduled to hit the market at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025. The edition is limited. In the US, Ford is anticipating a sales price of $300,000 or more. (awm)
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