Ford has announced it's getting into the GT3 racing class, and it's doing so with a Mustang. The car will be entering the 2024 IMSA series in the GTD and GTD Pro classes, but as a GT3 car, it will be eligible to compete in international GT3 classes.
The Mustang GT3 is being developed with two big-name racing companies with lots of Ford experience: Multimatic and M-Sport. Multimatic is one of the prime developers of the race car, and it will be managing the two factory-backed cars in IMSA. Other cars will be run by customer teams. Multimatic worked on the previous Ford GT LM race cars as well as the Bronco DR off-road-only SUV. It also makes those fantastic spool-valve shocks fitted to the road-going Ford GT and the Chevy Colorado and Silverado ZR2s. M-Sport is known for Ford's rally cars, including the new Puma hybrid WRC car, and they're in charge of the engine.
That engine will be a race-ready version of the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 we all know and love in the current Mustang GT. It's paired with a rear-mounted transaxle, which is one of the big departures from the road car. Besides the different transmission setup, the car features unique short-long arm suspension at all four corners. The body has many carbon fiber components, and of course, the race car has all kinds of aero aids.
Something that has us curious is whether this GT3 car will be based on the current Mustang, or if it will instead be the next-generation car. We've seen spy shots of a new one, so we know there's a replacement in development. The timing would be good for a new Mustang, too: the current one will be nearly a decade old in 2024 — plus that year will be the Mustang's 60th anniversary. Time will tell.
And one final note: Ford also has a new Mustang GT4 race car coming in 2023. That class is more production-based than the faster GT3 class. This one is more likely to be based on the current car, but we could always be surprised.
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