Renders of Ford’s new Mustang GTD show just how trick the driveline and undercarriage really are, displaying the Blue Oval and Multimatic’s plans to take on the Europeans and record a sub-seven-minute lap time at the Nurburgring.

While the US$300,000 price tag gets you a generous amount of carbonfibre and 800hp of blown 5.2, Multimatic has also poured a heap of time, effort and money into the suspension. The rear uses a pushrod layout, and all four corners sit on the Canadian company’s race-proven ‘Adaptive Spool Valve’ shock absorbers, which also appeared on the Ford GT supercar.

The specifics of their design are a bit too brain-melting for SM mortals like us, but essentially they’re super-predictable and precise compared to a conventional shock design. Under the GT they adjust their damping rates 1000 times per second, so we can expect similar rates in the GTD. Switching to track mode both drops the Mustang’s ride height by 40mm and changes the coilover spring rates.

When it comes to shedding seconds from lap times, we can’t forget the active aero. The C-pillar-mounted wing features hydraulic actuators to optimise the flow of air at all speeds, and a carbonfibre front treatment will work the same way (though at an extra cost to buyers).   

Taking a front-engined ‘Stang to the Nordschleife and running under seven minutes would be a hell of an achievement, but with Multimatic at the table it’s shaping to be a real possibility.

Friday, 18 August:

Ford has pulled the covers off the 2025 Mustang GTD: an 800hp carbon-clad weapon designed to battle the Europeans at Le Mans. The best part? It’s all street-legal, and they’re going to build up to 2000 of ‘em!

Named after IMSA’s ‘GT Daytona class’ The GTD’s track is a full 10cm wider than a stock S650 ’Stang, with just about every panel (except for the aluminium door skins) shaped from carbonfibre. Each production version will start as a typical S650 from the Michigan production line, before visiting performance house Multimatic’s facility in Canada for extensive reworking.

A range of interior colours will be offered, and paint is totally up to the customer – Ford says they’ll even be able to provide a colour sample to be matched. Raw carbonfibre exterior panels are reportedly being discussed, but don’t hold your breath.

The GT3 Mustang has served as inspiration for the car, though the GTD is unencumbered by the class’s rules, meaning more power and active aero were on the table. “We didn’t engineer a road car for the track, we created a race car for the road,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley in a press release.   

Power comes from a supercharged, dry-sumped (a first for a road-going Ford) 5.2-litre mill, similar to the one you’ll find in a current Shelby GT500. In this form it’s good for somewhere around 800hp, boasting a 7500rpm redline and optional titanium active valve pipes. Out the back is an eight-speed DCT transaxle turned by a carbonfibre driveshaft. While the previous whispers of a mid-engine layout aren’t quite accurate, the transaxle makes for a near-50/50 weight balance.

The standard wheels are forged aluminium pieces, but a super-light magnesium set is also available. Either way, they come shod with huge 325- and 345-wide, 20-inch Michelin Pilot Sport rubber. Suspension is an adjustable semi-active arrangement with adaptive Multimatic dampers, and a push of a button drops the ride height by 4cm for track work. A carbonfibre underbody package is available too, which features hydraulically actuated front flaps, and the rear wing is similarly controlled.   

A peek behind the heavily tinted glass reveals a pair of Recaros up front, and no back seats to both save weight and add storage space robbed by the transaxle. The GTD’s interior option list includes a rotary dial shifter and paddles 3D-printed from titanium apparently pulled from retired F-22 fighter jets. 

“The target for this project was clear – go much, much faster than we’ve ever gone before with a targeted sub-seven-minute Nürburgring time,” said Greg Goodall, Ford Chief Program Engineer. “This makes it the fastest road-going Mustang ever from Ford.”

Limited production is expected to start next year, with between 1000 and 2000 cars planned. Pricing is tipped to start at US$300,000 (AU$467,000), and the first deliveries are projected for late 2024 or early 2025.

Thursday, 17 August:

Following claims earlier this week that Ford would unveil a mid-engine Mustang at Monterey Car Week, images have appeared online of a new S650-based uber-Mustang dubbed the GTD. The GTD name comes from IMSA racing categories, standing for GT Daytona.

The secret snaps are from an invite-only Las Vegas showcase held earlier this week, prior to the public reveal that’s set for Thursday (US time) in Monterey, California.

According to Ford Authority, Canadian company Multimatic are the brains behind the car. They’re responsible for Ford’s Mustang GT3 and GT4 racers, motorsport versions of the new S650 Dark Horse, and the mighty Ford GT MkII.

The GTD features aggressive aero, new wheels covering chunky Brembos and lashings of carbonfibre, plus an interesting rear wing layout that resembles the GT3 car. 

The photos suggest that the GTD isn’t going to be mid-engined, unless there is something very cool going on. Perhaps the engine has been pushed back behind the front axle, making it technically mid-engined?

We’ll find out for sure tomorrow – and hopefully learn the purpose of those intrguing scoops on the rear guards.