It’s oh so wild and depraved with a decidedly menacing look about its widebody stance! In August 2023, Ford whipped the covers off the Mustang GTD, arguably its most ambitious Mustang iteration, coming virtually six a long time after the launch of the first-generation mannequin.

Credit score: Holley

The Mustang GTD marks one other chapter within the storied historical past of America’s most recognizable efficiency automobile. This time, nevertheless, issues are completely different. With the Mustang GTD, Ford is pushing proper into supercar territory, hoping its muscle automobile packs sufficient arsenal to determine its territory in what’s historically a hotly contested area inside the efficiency automobile section.

Credit score: Motor1

Whereas the Ford Mustang GTD remains to be in its early levels, with buyer vehicles anticipated to roll out in late 2024 or early 2025, the anticipation is palpable. If the preliminary impressions are something to go by, the Mustang GTD may have the ability to justify its eye-watering $325,000 price ticket, an quantity that makes it, by far, the most costly manufacturing Mustang.

The Mustang GTD is a transparent assertion of intent.

The Mustang GTD is something however delicate. Ford, the American carmaker, has taken a daring, in-your-face method, beginning with the supercar’s title. The ‘GTD’ is a transparent indication of its departure from custom. It stands for Grand Touring Daytona and is a direct reference to the IMSA GTD racing class, the place the GT3 model of the Mustang competes.

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Primarily, the Mustang is a race-tuned hunk of steel and carbon fibre bits wrapped round a monster powertrain. Ah, the powertrain. There isn’t a murking round right here; nothing fancy like electrical batteries or hybrid setups. What Ford has executed is supercharge a snarling 5.2L V8 engine tuned to crank out greater than 800 horsepower! That’s a hefty chunk over the output of rivals just like the McLaren 750S, the 2025 Aston Martin Vantage and even the brand new Porsche 911 hybrid supercar.

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It’s, by some margin, essentially the most highly effective manufacturing Mustang ever. Within the period of engine downsizing within the car sector, Ford has chosen to buck the pattern with the monster V8 on the coronary heart of the Mustang GTD. In one other obvious act of defiance, the Mustang GTD won’t be confined to the tracks. No, this race-ready supercar has been absolutely homologated for highway use. Which means that the complete fury of the supercharged Predator V8 might be unleashed on public roads.

The powerplant delivers a symphony of uncooked American muscle, helped partly by the titanium Akrapovic exhaust system. You’ll hear this beast lengthy earlier than it seems across the bend!

Way more than 800 horses

An 800-hp manufacturing Mustang is spectacular on so many ranges. Nonetheless, there’s extra to the Mustang GTD than what it packs underneath the hood. An 8-speed dual-clutch transmission feeds energy to the rear wheels by way of a carbon-fibre driveshaft. It’s able to lightning-fast shifts and will assist maximize energy supply and improve the automobile’s track-focused efficiency.

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Then, there’s the bodywork, a daring reimagining of the long-lasting pony automobile. The aggressive aerodynamics are instantly obvious with a large, low stance and menacing entrance fascia. Each cutout, canard, and curve is purpose-designed to enhance cooling, maximize downforce, and enhance the Mustang GTD’s general aerodynamic effectivity and efficiency.

Credit score: Motor1

In response to Greg Goodall, Mustang GTD Chief Program Engineer, ‘each floor, physique opening and vent on and underneath Mustang GTD’s physique is useful. Some air is directed for cooling, different for aerodynamics and downforce. All of it to assist GTD go quicker or follow the pavement it doesn’t matter what the situations are.’

It’s inconceivable to overlook the rear wing. The humongous fixture sprouts from the Mustang’s C-pillar, extending nicely past the automobile’s rear finish. The distinctive placement contributes to the automobile’s aggressive and distinctive profile. Additionally it is extremely useful, with a number of adjustable bits to maximise downforce and improve stability at excessive speeds.

It’s going to be a troublesome battle.

The Mustang GTD is designed to offer an exhilarating and immersive driving expertise. Its mixture of uncooked energy, exact dealing with and superior know-how makes it a real efficiency machine.

Nonetheless, the brawny muscle automobile will likely be enjoying in a fiercely aggressive area the place among the closest rivals have had numerous years of expertise to determine a agency foothold. Sure, there’s been plenty of hype across the imminent arrival of the Mustang GTD, however its shot at an everlasting legacy will depend upon how nicely it matches or surpasses the opposition. It won’t be a straightforward process.

Testing the competitors

The Porsche 911 (992.1) GT3 RS will likely be one of many Mustang’s largest rivals. The hardcore supercar is a supreme mix of energy and efficiency, with its 500-hp naturally aspirated flat-six and a physique fashion optimized for max aerodynamics. It even boasts a Drag Discount System, identical to the Mustang GTD. It will likely be fascinating to see how the 2 Titans stack up towards one another.

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Then there’s McLaren, with its 750S supercar, accessible in each coupe and spider physique types. The 750S is a superb evolution of the 720S, broadly considered among the finest trendy supercars. The 750S boasts McLaren’s acquainted twin-turbo 4.0L V8, tweaked this time to generate 740 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. The smooth supercar will not be solely able to brutal straight-line pace but in addition impresses round sharp bends and corners, because of a number of intelligent engineering gimmicks packed into its body.

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On the homefront, the Mustang GTD goes to need to slug it out with the formidable Chevrolet Corvette Z06. GM’s gamble to shift from a front-engine to a mid-engine structure paid off massively. It reworked the Corvette into a reliable efficiency machine, capable of get within the combine with supercar royalty just like the McLaren 765LT. The Z06 mannequin takes issues even additional with time-warping acceleration, correct supercar dealing with and capabilities as a day by day driver.

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The Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica is a fragile stability between the Huracan EVO and the hardcore STO mannequin. It boasts the identical ferocious 640 horsepower V10 because the STO however with a curb weight nearer to the Evo. It interprets to thrilling acceleration and a sharper edge for carving corners. Then, there’s the rear-wheel steering system for added agility. The Huracan Tecnica is a driver’s dream, a efficiency package deal that can take some beating.

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The Mercedes-AMG GT Black Collection has been round for a number of years, however low cost it at your peril. Below the hood lies a hand-built, twin-turbocharged V8, primed to generate as much as 720 hp. The Black Collection additionally boasts an aggressive aero package deal that enables the automobile follow the pavement round corners. The perfect half? It’s completely suited to life as a day by day driver, with a number of driver help and luxury options in-built as customary.

It’s not simply the normal heavyweights that await the Mustang GTD. Different gamers embody the revamped Aston Martin Vantage, now packing 656 hp, greater than a 100 hp bump over the earlier mannequin, and the outgoing 600-hp Nissan GT-R.

Packaging the Mustang GTD

The choice-rich area is indicative of simply how the supercar section has turn into more and more aggressive through the years. The Mustang GTD positive has its work minimize out, however aside from its claimed efficiency capabilities, one other key issue ought to assist it alongside when buyer vehicles start to roll out.

The Ford Mustang GTD is being marketed as a limited-production mannequin. Ford has but to launch an official determine of the overall variety of Mustang GTDs it plans to make, however there are reports that solely about 1,000 vehicles will likely be constructed.

On this market, exclusivity fuels the hype and demand. Thus far, it appears to be working nicely for the Mustang GTD. In Might, Ford introduced that it had acquired over 7,500 applications from clients who needed to buy the limited-production automobile.

Credit score: AutoTrader

The Mustang GTD has generated plenty of buzz, however solely time will inform if it may reside as much as the hype. If it does maintain its personal towards spirited competitors, it may solidify the Mustang’s legacy as America’s favorite pony automobile.