Ford has debuted a $300,000 (R5.7 million), 800-horsepower (597kW) Mustang.
The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD is a street-legal, limited-edition coupe with a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine.
It is inspired by the Ford Mustang GT3 slated to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year, and has all of the aero vents and ducts of a race car—not to mention a leering rear wing.
Ford says the GTD is the quickest road-going Mustang ever built, though at the time of its launch, the car’s top speed and zero-to-60mph sprint time remained unspecified.
The front-engined GTD is mostly carbon fiber; the material makes up the fenders, hood, trunk lid, door sills, front splitter, rear diffuser, and front and rear fascia. This means it drops a lot of weight, compared with normal Mustang models. An eight-speed dual-clutch and carbon fiber driveshaft help balance the weight, too.
Even the trunk has been sacrificed in favor of achieving superior performance: A semi-active suspension, hydraulic control system, and new transaxle cooling system live in the rear instead. A spokesperson for Ford declined to divulge total weight.
The car offers active aerodynamics and 20-inch forged aluminum wheels or forged magnesium wheels – the most similar, in design, to the Mustang GT3 race car.
Titanium exhaust and carbon ceramic brakes are also available. A new suspension system adjusts spring rate and ride-height settings for track or street conditions.
Inside, the Mustang is swathed in suede, leather, and carbon fiber.
Desirable Recaro-brand seats, 3D-printed titanium paddle shifters, and a rotary dial shifter made from retired Lockheed Martin F-22 titanium parts are well-suited in look and ergonomics for long days at the track. To reduce weight, the rear seating area has been removed.
Ford has been doubling down lately on its signature pony cars, which have been in production since 1964 and, with the Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette, rank among the longest-running sports cars in history.
Fans tend to be fanatical about the Mustang, opting to leave them bone-stock or modifying them to the hilt. Last year, Ford sold 47,566 nationwide.
The GTD comes as Ford’s electric vehicle sales fell 2.8% in the second quarter. Ford lost ground to Tesla and General Motors after it paused production at the Mexican factory that builds its battery-powered Mustang Mach-E.
Production on the GTD, meanwhile, will start at the Ford Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan and then transfer to Markham, Canada.
It will be handcrafted by Ford Performance and a company called Multimatic, which built the Ford GT and Mustang GT3 and GT4 race cars. Deliveries will start in late 2024.
Ford Mustang GTD
Keyword: R5.7-million Ford Mustang GTD unveiled – A street-legal race car