Craig Breedlove became famous for driving the turbojet-powered Spirit of America to set land-speed records, including going over 500 miles per hour in 1964. His later Spirit of America – Sonic I hit 600.601 mph in 1965. As part of its celebration of America’s 250th birthday, Ford pays tribute to Breedlove and his high-speed machines with the latest version of the Mustang GTD Spirit of America.Yes, this is the latest version. The GTD Spirit of America already graced roadways with its red-white-blue motif. Now, the motif is still there, but Ford tweaked it just enough to make wealthy collectors take notice. Here's a closer look at what's new. Celebrating America With Stripes FordThe new Mustang GTD Spirit of America wears a patriotic color combo with asymmetrical stripes. The elements include a skinny Lightning Blue strip running down the vehicle's center. There's also a thicker blue element and a narrow Race Red line that runs the length of the body, starting at the hood vents. Most of the body is Performance White. The brake calipers are also race red. The motif is similar to the overalls that Breedlove wore and also evokes the vertical tri-bar that's part of the Mustang emblem.The spoiler has Race Red end plates, and there's a "Mustang" wordmark on the underside. Buyers can select Race Red or exposed carbon-fiber mirror caps."Mustang GTD is the pinnacle of Mustang performance. Mustang GTD Spirit of America celebrates the daring behind that performance. Mustang GTD wouldn't have been possible without people like Craig Breedlove, pushing the edge of the envelope and challenging the Goliaths of the day in an all-American way."- Mustang GTD Brand Manager Jim OwensFord leaves the front splitter, rear wing, and diffuser in exposed carbon fiber, which adds a dark accent to the bright colors. Forgeline wheels are also part of the package. The GTD Spirit of America comes standard with the Performance Package, which includes a drag-reduction system for the rear wing, underbody flaps, and less sound deadening.The exterior color scheme also appears in the cabin. There's a Race Red gradient stripe down the middle of the chairs, and there's Victory Blue contrast stitching. Re-Entry White and Victory Blue trim decorates portions of the interior. The seats are leather-trimmed with Dinamica inserts. Like with the regular GTD, there are optional 3D-printed titanium pieces for the paddle shifters, shift ring, and IP badge. Still A Mustang Ford Beyond its special exterior color scheme, the Spirit of America is a standard Mustang GTD. Under the hood, there's a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 making 815 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. A recent dyno video shows that there's 740 hp to 753 hp at the wheels, depending on the pull.The company recently celebrated the new GTD Competition lapping the Nürburgring in 6 minutes, 40.83 seconds. The time beat the GTD's earlier lap of 6:52.07, and more importantly from a marketing perspective, it was also quicker than the Corvette ZR1X that completed a circuit in 6:49.27.Ford isn't providing many details about what makes the GTD Competition different from the regular model. The company confirms it has over the stock version's 815 hp. There are also aerodynamic revisions, including tweaks to the rear wing and aero discs on the rear wheels. A set of magnesium wheels wears aggressive tires that appear to be nearly slick, but Ford promises they meet US DOT requirements to be road legal.Ford This is Ford's second Spirit of America edition for the GTD. The first had a different stripe pattern, with narrow red and blue elements running over the body.Ford is not giving people much longer to get ahold of the new Mustang GTD Spirit of America. The application window is only open through May 18 for North American customers. The automaker isn't disclosing the package's price to the public. A Ford spokesperson told CarBuzz that "Mustang GTD starts at around $325,000. It changes from there based on all the options they decide to add."
