The diabolical Mustang GTD arrives in France

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Mustang, Ford is set to unveil its most extreme version ever produced at Le Mans.

Ford will present at the 24 Hours of Le Mans the craziest Mustang ever produced, the Mustang GTD. Road-legal, this car directly derived from racing is equipped with cutting-edge technologies.

In a hidden garage behind a wind tunnel in Allen Park, Michigan, a handful of enthusiasts gathered in 2021 for a new mission that, on paper, seemed like an impossible dream: to design a Mustang capable of competing with the best European sports cars. The result is the limited edition Ford Mustang GTD, ultra high-performance and road-legal, with the true spirit of a Mustang. Designed and developed in collaboration between Ford and Multimatic, which developed the Mustang GT3, Mustang GT4, and the Ford GT, victorious at Le Mans in 2016, the Mustang GTD represents the culmination of decades of technical advancements from continuous learning in racing.

The Mustang GTD benefits from the extensive use of carbon fiber body panels to reduce weight, lower the center of gravity, and improve responsiveness. The fenders, hood, rear trunk lid, door sills, front splitter, rear diffuser, and roof are all made of carbon fiber, with optional carbon fiber front and rear bumpers.

Beneath all that carbon lies the heart of the beast, a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 with a maximum rev of 7,500 RPM. This can produce exceptional sounds through the optional titanium active valve exhaust system. This is the most powerful road-going Mustang ever developed by Ford. Power is transmitted from the engine to the rear wheels via a carbon fiber driveshaft connected to an 8-speed transmission for nearly 50/50 weight distribution between the front and rear.

The entire setup sits on 325-millimeter wide front tires, as wide as the rear tires of the Ford GT, and 345-millimeter rear tires, mounted on 20-inch forged magnesium wheels.

Attendees of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be able to discover the Mustang GTD throughout this week and witness the participation of the Mustang GT3 in the great endurance classic. The Mustang GTD will then head to the 24 Hours of Spa and the Goodwood Festival of Speed before tackling the Nordschleife, the famous northern loop of the Nürburgring, in the last quarter of 2024.

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